


Sweet Disaster

by goodgreycious



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Age Difference, Boss/Employee Relationship, Cursing of the mild variety, Drunken hookups definitely do NOT lead to feelings, F/M, Poe and Rose commiserating over the heteros, Rey wants off the emotional rollercoaster thankyouverymuch, Reylo - Freeform, We can have a little bit of fluff, Young and Hungry AU, as a treat, my ode to quarantine
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-11
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:01:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 25,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23597281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goodgreycious/pseuds/goodgreycious
Summary: “Tomorrow night, Miss Niima.” Rey nodded enthusiastically. “I’m having my girlfriend, Bazine Snoke, over for dinner.” She paid absolutely no attention whatsoever to the miniscule part of her brain that deflated at this information. “I need a dinner that will make her say yes.”“Done. Yes to what?”“A marriage proposal,” Ben Solo intoned, with all the conviction of someone marching to their grave.-Didn't you all know you wanted a Young and Hungry AU for Rey and Ben? No...? Well, here's one anyway.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 29
Kudos: 81





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I took it upon myself to give the Reylos everything we deserve and wrote a Young and Hungry AU to get us through quarantine. 
> 
> And it turned out to be the longest thing I've written to date. Whoops.
> 
> *Cheers lads* I'll see you at the end.
> 
> Disclaimer: Anything you recognize is not mine, anything you don't is all me.

It was, by far, the nicest building Rey had ever been to in her life. If she had more time (and more money for the parking meter ten blocks away), she probably would have stopped to appreciate the fact that the elevator seemed roomier than her one-bedroom apartment whilst on her way to a potentially life changing interview. Instead, she had fallen victim to the “I haven’t done my laundry in ages, what can pass as remotely professional and clean when I have to leave for my interview 20 minutes ago” cliche. She pressed the ‘PH’ button in the elevator severely as if it would make the elevator go quicker than it was. Rich people that lived in a penthouse in one of the nicest neighborhoods in Coruscant can afford faster machinery, right?

An eternity later, though only a minute passed according to her phone’s timer for her parking meter, the elevator door opened to a quaintly decorated corridor. The only movement in the little hallway came from the elevator doors closing almost soundlessly behind her as she stepped off. Rey blew out a whistle looking at the only door on the whole top floor, willing herself not to be intimidated by the gold PH to the right of the door frame. Steeling herself and breathing deeply, like online Youtube therapy taught her, she centered herself and knocked on the door. 

“Hi, I’m Rey Niima. I’m here to interview for the private chef position,” she quickly stammered through before wincing at how fast and breathy it came out as the door swung open. The woman that answered the door seemed to be her age and just blew out a soft, amused sort of laugh. 

“I’m so sorry for the confusion! Interviewee’s have to go to use the service entrance down the hall a little ways, next to the trash chute.” Coming out, she shut the door softly behind her. “I was going that way before you knocked, so I’ll walk with you! I’m Rose, by the way. Rose Tico.” Her smile was like that scent of fresh baked chocolate chip cookies which made smiling back at her with equal warmth very easy. Her roommate/ best friend/ brother Finn often reminded her how frosty she could come off sometimes, but smiling back at Rose felt like second nature. 

“Do you work here as well then?” Rey inquired as they walked the short distance to an almost imperceptible second door down the corridor. Small talk was never really her favorite thing, but desperately wanting to make a good impression will make you do most anything. 

“Oh yes, I’m the housekeeper,” Rose answered, holding up, jokingly, and then disposing of the garbage bag she had brought on their little journey. “And you’ll be interviewing with Mr. Dameron, the boss’s publicist.” Before Rey knew it, she had opened the invisible service door to the penthouse. “He can come off overly charming and kind of pompous, but he’s a big old softie at heart. Him and the boss go way back. It’s why he cares so much about having the best people.” Rey did her damnedest to hide the nervous gulp and clenched the fist behind her back that wasn’t holding the manilla folder her resume was stashed in. 

“Don’t worry, Rey,” Rose said softly, placing a gentle hand on her arm. Rey guessed she wasn’t as good at hiding her emotions as she thought. Either that, or Rose was just extremely perceptive. “It’s just an interview. You can wait right on the living room couch on the other side of this wall.” Rey nodded, hoping her smile of thanks didn’t come off too much like a nervous grimace. It seemed to appease Rose though, who left to go back to her day. Following the muffled voices and Rose, she rounded the corner before coming to a complete standstill.

Fancy, rich, and pristine were the first adjectives that came to mind as Rey took in the open concept floor plan in front of her. The other side of the wall, and what she was currently standing in, was the biggest personal kitchen she’d ever seen. A central island with a spotless white marble countertop that she probably could’ve seen her reflection in were sitting on lovely black wood cabinets. The same countertop took up the entire back wall, though the cabinets were white, and were complimented by top of the line appliances. From there, it continued into a dining room to her left and the living room, also done in the same black and white style. Very minimalist, not quite as warm or lived in as she was expecting. She only briefly took in the staircase and the front door she almost came in before laying her eyes on the beautiful skyline view showcased by a back wall of floor-to-ceiling-windows leading onto a balcony. 

Completely ignoring the goings on around her, she walked right up to windows to take it all in. When she first came here, Coruscant had seemed as big as a planet compared to the little town in Britain she was from. The air smelled like steel and smog at all times and the buildings started to look the same if you weren’t thinking about it. But, it had been big enough to get lost in and she had dove right into that atmosphere, where no one could ever find her. From up here though, the city shone an incandescent silver, the landscape of buildings more architecturally beautiful than the industrious and foreboding presence they gave off when you looked up from the streets.  _ Kriff, it’s a whole other world up here,  _ Rey thought to herself.

“Um, miss?” Rey started as a voice broke through her train of thought. Coming back to reality, she took in the two people behind her in what she supposed was the dining room, one looking at her questioningly, the other slightly amused. The former, who she assumed had startled her considering the look on his face and the question in his bright eyes, cut a hell of a figure in the suit he was wearing. Full black curls, with some salt and pepper sprinkled in, tan skin, and the barest hint of five o’clock shadow probably would’ve made most weak in the knees. But he was taking her in, she realized. Assessing her, quickly and efficiently. And while his face seemed to be relaxing more and more, the sharpness in his eyes was telling. This was Poe. This was the publicist she had to impress. 

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt. It was just so beautiful and I’d never- I’ll just-”

“We’re just finishing up here anyway, so,” it was his turn to interrupt her, as he brought a finger to his lips. Rey tried to not to fume under the not-so-obvious-but-obvious scolding.  _ Strike one Niima. _ As she made her way to the couch, fighting the urge to stick her tongue out at Dameron when he wasn’t looking, she resolutely kept her head down and walked over to the stiff leather couch to take a seat.. “Now, Mr. Calrissian,” 

Rey could’ve gotten whiplash from how fast her head turned around as she finally zeroed in on the other presence in the room. 

“Oh, oh my god. Chef Lando Calrissian?” Rey said, rushing back over to where they were seated. “As in, winner of _Top Chef_ Lando Calrissian?” The man may not have been in the prime of his youth, but aging definitely agreed with him as Rey took in one of her food icons sitting mere meters in front of her. His eyes shown with a warmth that only age and experience could give you, as he reached out to shake the hand she hadn’t realized she put out. There were calluses on that hand that Rey only slightly mirrored in her own. At least when it came to cooking. 

“Personally, I think you would’ve won  _ Next Top Model Chef, _ ” Poe said, almost to himself. Chef Calrissian just laughed.

“What are you doing here?” she asked conversationally, ignoring the hardening gaze of Mr. Dameron.  _ Strike two. _

“Just interviewing for the personal chef position, out of courtesy” he said casually. 

“The private… chef- uh oh,” Rey trailed off, immediately drawing in on herself. Lando _ freaking  _ Calrissian was interviewing for this job? Who was going to be after her then, Iron Chef Cat Cora? She willed the mini panic attack she could feel settling in away fiercely. 

“But, I have more than overstayed my welcome. I should leave you to your other interviews Poe.” Lando said standing up and moving to shake Poe’s hand. As they walked to the front door, Rey only briefly caught Lando saying something about _that boy_ and _avoid us forever._

“Thanks for coming, Mr. Calrissian. You’ll be hearing from us soon, if I have anything to say about it,” Poe said resolutely. Lando just laughed mysteriously and gave a face that was hopeful, but like he didn’t believe him. Closing the door behind him, Poe’s laser eyes honed back in on her and Rey felt 3 inches small again. “Well, as you can see, the position is filled.”

Taking a deep breath, Rey squared her shoulders, unwilling to be subtly put down by this man any longer. She was a chef, goddamnit. And a good one. She had as much right to be here as any Top or Iron Chef. “Ok, so I may not have won shows, or gotten awards, or been on magazine covers. Hell, I barely have a social life,” she said, hoping the ferocity in her tone would help Mr. Suit Man realize he had no choice but to hire her. “But you know what I do have?” 

‘I’m sure you’re going to tell me,” Poe drawled as he cut in front of her to retrieve his belongings from the dining room table he had set up.

“Lots and lots of debt,” Poe’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline as his eyes started to dance with mirth. Rey blanched, realizing her mouth had beaten her head again. “TIME. I have tons and tons of time. Which means, I can be more than one hundred percent available to cook for your boss twenty four hours a day, seven days a week.

“I’m Rey, by the way. Rey Niima,” she said, sticking out her resume for Poe to take. 

“Like a ray of sunshine,” Poe said to himself, a small, but genuine smile gracing his features for the first time. It changed his whole face and demeanour, she noted to herself. This Poe she could get along with and, more importantly in this moment, win over. 

“All I’m asking for is a shot, Mr. Dameron. Let me prove that I can be here and everything you’re looking for.” Rey hated the way her voice sounded, even though she knew it was this part she had to play up. She was not the person to talk about herself or ask for handouts. Stubborn to a fault, a general distrust in others, and hard pressed to accept help from anyone didn’t all together make for the easiest person to be interviewed. But, Finn had been floating her part of the bills for three months now, and she resolutely vowed when she got this interview that it wouldn’t last a month longer. She had waited her whole life for an opportunity like this. To do something that she wanted to do and that she loved with every fiber of her being. 

“Miss Niima… Rey, I’m sure-” Poe started to say, as Rey fought the urge to deflate at the tone she heard over and over again when job hunting. She would not acknowledge the pity in his tone. She wouldn’t. 

The front door careened open with enough force to rattle the frame and leave a hole in the wall behind it the size of a door handle. She could only assume that this was the elusive “boss man,” finally showing up. “I swear to God, Dameron, if you kept that arrogant, lazy, loud ass gossip in my house for one second longer than was necessary to get me to-” he trailed off as he took in the unfamiliar person standing in his home.

Rey certainly couldn’t do anything but notice the man that had just entered the room. His presence demanded to be acknowledged. The dark grey suit he was wearing made the lines of his rather large body appear even harder than normal. Everything was crisp and clean; almost like his home. If it didn’t scream money, it definitely screamed powerful. Waves of the most kempt, yet unkempt black hair that begged to have fingers run through it framed a face of beauty marks and a slightly too big nose that definitely had been broken at some point. His molton brown gaze seemed to track every breath she was taking as she held it with her own. His mouth, while not smiling, followed his jawline that ticked a little to one side as he trailed off and took her in. And  _ God, that voice,  _ she couldn’t help but think. Deep enough to sink into, like Alice perpetually falling down into Wonderland. 

It was Poe that ended up breaking the mounting and silent tension, placing himself in front of her to bring his boss’s attention back to him. “Solo! You were due back ages ago. I was about to send out the calvary.”

Snapping back to himself he looked at Poe, his brown eyed gaze releasing her finally. “There was traffic,” he deadpanned. “And our calendars are linked, so I familiarized myself with your afternoon appointments.” The eyes that froze Rey in her spot narrowed at the suave publicist, causing Poe to chuckle and reach up to rub the back of his neck nervously. Rey was clearly missing something and couldn’t for the life of her figure out why she was still standing there. 

“Oh! I thought I heard you come in!” Rose said, descending the stairs with a basket of laundry. “Welcome back.” The man, Solo, seemed to melt a little at the natural warmth that his housekeeper radiated.  _ He should relax more often,  _ Rey mused to herself.

“How was China?” Poe asked. Solo’s eyes immediately hardened again. She almost laughed. It was nice to know Dameron brought that out in everyone. “Did the deal go through? How’s the new building look?”

“Your package came too,” Rose said, passing Ben. “I left it on the counter.” At this, Solo seemed to go paler.

Sensing this was a good time to hightail it out of here and cry into a tub of ice cream about just how shitty this day turned out and another job down the toilet, Rey turned to leave back the way she came. The front way out looked kind of crowded and the last thing she wanted to do was intrude. Or get drawn back into that gaze again. 

She almost made it to the wall that separated her from the door before she heard that deep, velvet voice say, “I didn’t realize you were still entertaining guests, Dameron.” She froze when she heard the word guest, and turned back slowly. “Who are you?” His eyes were so curious, almost as if daring her to say something. To tell him why she was there and what she wanted from him.

Steeling herself again, Rey immediately took back control of her day. “Hopefully, your new personal Chef. If I’m lucky.” The sides of his mouth ticked upward in what Rey thought was amusement. 

She didn’t waver, even as Poe cut in to remind her and his boss, “We’re hiring a real chef. One with credentials, connections, and-”

“I’m sure you’d like nothing more than to drool over more than Calrissian’s cooking, Dameron, but he’s not here,” he said swiftly, eyes not leaving hers. “She is. And I’m hungry.” It wasn’t a compliment or any form of praise. But Rey latched onto it for the opportunity that it was, blooming at a chance to get to prove herself. 

“And I know exactly what you want to eat.” Rey promised, making her way to the kitchen. She set down her manilla-folder-clad resume on the counter that probably cost more than all the appliances in her apartment combined. “Because I am a food mind reader.”

~*~*~

It was in that moment, roughly five seconds later, that Rey knew she fucked up. Settling behind the counter, it finally dawned on her that she did not know this kitchen, let alone what food could possibly be in the dreamiest _Sub-Zero_ fridge she had ever seen. Thankfully, Solo and Dameron had engrossed themselves right back into work, leaving her to her own devices and the panic attack that didn’t want to quit. It wasn’t until Rose slid into one of the stools on the other side of the breakfast bar and gave her that soft, calming smile that Rey came back to herself. No more back and forth. She was a chef. She was a food mind reader. She was a goddamn goddess. 

“Grilled cheese?” Poe huffed watching Rey set the sandwich down in front of his boss. And, okay, it wasn’t the fanciest thing she could’ve whipped up with the, astonishingly, very fancy things Mr. Solo seemed to keep in his fridge. But, there was so much room to make it great. And it was quick for the most part, so there was no margin for them forgetting why they let a near stranger cook in their kitchen and she still had a solid fifteen minutes left on her parking meter timer. 

She honestly couldn’t tell if Mr. Solo felt indifferent about it, excited to eat it, or if it had killed his mother with the look he was giving it. Regardless, he took a decent bite out of it and- there it was. The reason Rey kept with cooking. It might have been more subdued in a man like Mr. Solo, but that look where the person eating genuinely enjoys the thing she created? It made her beam every damn time. 

Setting it back down and wiping his mouth, he turned to Poe. “She’s hired.” 

“Boss, c’mon!” Poe bemoaned, ignoring the beam that turned supernova with those two words and the exchanged high-five between women. “The recipe is in the name!” Solo arched his brow regally, almost amused that his right hand man was trying to fight him on a decision he had clearly made his mind up about. “At least have her make a trial dinner.” 

Rey did her best to strangle the urge to kill Poe instead of outright strangling the man himself. “Bring it on. I am not afraid of a trial dinner,” she stated fiercely, drawing all eyes to her before meeting her would-be boss’s eyes with a sharp gaze of her own. “What do you want me to make? Name it and I’ll do it better than Lando Calrissian could even dream of.” So, her mouth got away from her head again. Sue her. She needed this job. 

He took her in, his gaze softer this time around, but not shy of intensity. It was those same eyes that gave him away now that she was paying attention. They were twinkling with some form of amusement and definitely a modicum of respect. Though the last time anyone had described the man in front of her as twinkle-y, Rey didn’t want to know that person’s fate. His head inclined briefly, his whole focus shifting to the package on the other end of the counter that Rose had said came while he was away. The one that made him pale earlier. 

He walked over, and turned it around in his hands a few times and opened her resume folder “Tomorrow night, Miss Niima.” Rey nodded enthusiastically. “I’m having my girlfriend, Bazine Snoke, over for dinner.” She paid absolutely no attention whatsoever to the miniscule part of her brain that deflated at this information. “I need a dinner that will make her say yes.”

“Whoa, boss. Hold on a sec-”

“That’s what that was?! You can’t be serious Ben-” 

“Done. Yes to what?”

“A marriage proposal,” Ben Solo intoned, with all the conviction of someone marching to their grave. 

~*~*~

“Hey Rey, when you get a sec, can you help me snake the drain? I think I definitely put something dead down there,” her roommate said, before turning in reaction to their front door opening. “Wait, grocery bags? Peanut, did you get the job?!” Rey could only nod and smile, letting some tears cloud her vision as she set her bags down and Finn raced to hug her. 

Though they did it all the time now, hugging was definitely something that she had worked up to in their relationship. She had met him at her orientation at University of Coruscant. He was so effusive and kind that it set a newly freed, and honestly feral, foster child’s hackles on edge. It didn't help that she had walls higher than the London Eye, but Finn, patient and loving, had refused to back down and had single handedly shown her what family was supposed to mean . Ever since the night she K.O’ed some asshole frat bro at a party for calling him, not one, but two slurs, during their second month of freshman year, they had been inseparable. She learned to hold him when he cried about stupid boys and stupid professors and he adamantly denied housing her illegally when she dropped out of school after sophomore year. (He so did.)

Happy-Finn hugs may have been her favorite, though. When his arms encircled her waist, and she clung to his neck to lift her and spin her around. Like they were their own little unit, their own little galaxy in motion. He had hugged her like this when he graduated, when she’d saved up enough money and eventually got her associate’s degree. When they found this shitty one-bedroom apartment in a neighborhood six steps from nice, but still safe, and when he had found a job at a law firm willing to pay for his degree while he worked up the ranks. 

“I got it!” she laughed as he set her down and made to grab the obscene amount of grocery bags she had brought home to help her put them away. “In a very, almost-y kind of way. He wants me to make dinner for him and his fancy-pants society girlfriend. Apparently, I have to make a dinner that will make her say yes to marrying him.” Finishing putting away the groceries, she flopped onto the couch. “Finn, what if I mess this up? This shit doesn’t just happen to people like me.”

“Don’t do that Rey, don’t go there,” reassurance in every kaydence of his voice. Standing in front of her to pull her up into a full seated position, he sat down on the coffee table in front of her, hands still holding hers. “When you focus in, you’re one of the most powerful and confident people I know. And cooking makes you the happiest I’ve ever seen you. Do not give up on this opportunity when it’s still completely within reach.” Rey could do nothing but squeeze his hands in gratitude. “Confidence, peanut. You got this,” he smiled, squeezing back. 

“You’re right. You’re absolutely right,” she said. Finn laughed good naturedly as her anxiety ebbed away. “The kitchen is the only place where I feel, where I know, I have my life together. And they must know that to considering what they gave me to get all this stuff,” Rey said as casually as she could before pulling out-

“A black AmEx?” Finn near shouted, ripping the card out of her hands to inspect it with the utmost care. “You know what they say, once you go- wait… Ben Solo? Ben Solo is the guy who’s looking for a personal chef?”

“Yeah. What about it?” she drawled out, prying the credit card out from him. 

“Just- be careful is all.”

Exasperated at the pace from which her day was moving between very high highs and very low lows, Rey huffed over to the fridge to grab a 2 PM beer. “Finn, you can’t just say something like that. What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“Just that my firm represents him and I have not heard good things about the guy. And now that I think about it, I did hear some gossip around the bullpen about him dating Snoke’s daughter.” Rey took a swig of her beer, waiting to feel any kind of hesitancy about her almost boss. “He’s the personal client of the downright worst name partner in the building. And if that snake, Andrew Snoke, is his lawyer, I can’t imagine what Ben Solo must deem ethical. Like kicking puppies or telling kids at the mall that Santa doesn’t exist.” 

Ah, she thought the last name of the girlfriend had sounded familiar in some way. She had spent hours of her life listening to Finn bitch about his boss. She played it off though, like the flash of recognition was that same one people get about celebrities you were just supposed to innately know about all the time. “Plus, RenTech dominates the tech market and literally decimates any competitors. No quarter, no prisoners.”

“Wait a minute. RenTech as in Kylo Ren? As in the company and man that is responsible for three quarters of the apps on my phone RenTech?” she said disbelievingly, waving her bottle around for emphasis. “The same Kylo Ren who sees more money in this very moment than I will ever see in my life five times over?” Finn just nodded solemnly.

“Bollocks,” Rey muttered, before chugging the rest of her beer. 

~*~*~

It was 6:30 PM on a Friday night and Rey was hitting on all cylinders. She was also quite proud that she hadn’t gotten too drunk yesterday before remembering to fire off an email to Poe asking about food allergies, what to expect of the evening, appropriate attire, and the like. She had woken up earlier than normal to drive a little ways outside the city to a farm market in the suburbs to pick out some last minute things for the day and had made it back to the penthouse to start preparing her test dinner by one. She also hadn’t needed to get there that early, per say. She had just wanted to familiarize herself with the space and the kitchen. 

She may have also killed an hour in the extremely fancy powder room getting ready since it had better lighting than anywhere in her apartment. But that was neither here nor there. Instead of her signature three-bun style she tended to favor when cooking, she had let her hair fall in natural waves and added a loose braid crown to keep a little bit of the length of her neck. She had decided to keep it on the more casual side of fancy with a long sleeve, white boat neck shirt that cut off a little bit above the waistline of her high waisted black business pants. And though not the most comfortable, her favorite pair of black pumps to dress it up. Plus, for a little extra boost of confidence, she had put on her favorite delicate gold body chain underneath her shirt that she had found thrifting with Finn one day. The yellow hued crystal that laid in the valley of her chest was what had originally made her fall in love with it. And it was a nice little anchor too, its weight bringing a peace she couldn’t quite explain but still cherished. 

“I’m amazing. I’m amazing. I’m just-”

“Amazing?” Poe’s voice startled her so much, the dishes she had in her hands clattered into the sink before she could stop them.

“Jesus, Poe. Announce yourself next time,” she scolded, checking to make sure nothing in the sink was broken. “I could’ve been handling a blow torch.” His answering laugh was closer than she thought and she turned to see him placing bags on the island. 

“What the hell is that?” 

“Nothing!” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Fine. If you must know it’s a backup meal. Courtesy of Lando.”

“A backup meal?! You do NOT need a back up meal. Now, kindly, switch off, and remove that, thaaat… oh wow.” Rey drifted off for a second, catching a whiff when trying to give the bags back to Poe, but caught herself quickly. “No, no, no. You know what? It doesn’t matter because, as established: I’m amazing. And BOOM.” She hit a button on the iPad Rose had taught her to use when she had arrived today and illuminated the dining room that she had kept dark. 

She had set up fairy lights along the walls and around the table, along with some very real looking fake ivy. She had found a gorgeous navy blue tablecloth and had bought a beautiful table arrangement of jewel toned flowers with berries and greenery. The silverware was actually gold, so she had bought pale blue napkins and gold runners to sit below one blue dinner plate and a smaller plate that was decorated in a subdued galaxy like pattern. Thank you Pinterest and Ben’s black card. 

“I’m so happy that you learned how to set a table,” Poe said jokingly, rubbing her hair.

“And handmade the dressing for the summer salad, made Cornish game hen with gorgonzola, caramelized pears, truffle mashed potatoes, AND homemade non-dairy peach ice cream. And a big ol’ side dish of bite me,” she all but growled at him, his smirk only getting wider. 

“If you two are done,” drawled a bored voice coming from the stairs. If Rey had thought Ben Solo looked good in a grey suit, it was nothing compared to the black one he wore now. His hair was perfectly coiffed and fluffed, his eyes still calm and assessing. But his body looked even bigger under the cut of a perfectly tailored suit. It was completely off putting and totally unfair of him to look that good. Scowling at Poe once more, she flitted off back to the kitchen.

“Damn Solo, you clean up good,” Poe said good naturedly, reaching out to shake his hand. From her place behind the counter, Rey just saw Ben nod solemnly. “You know, Ben, there’s still time. You don’t have to-” he started to say, softer this time. Ben waved up his other hand to cut him off. 

“Thank you, Dameron. You’re dismissed for the night.” She tried not to make it too obvious that she was paying attention to the silent battle of wills going on only meters in front of her. Poe let go of his boss's hand slowly, returning the nod with one of his own. 

“Let me know how it goes,” Poe said flippantly, leaving Rey alone with Ben for the first time. Ben watched him go, letting out a deep sigh, even though his shoulders seemed to tense with the action, not relax. He turned to catch her eyes with his. It felt like he was asking her something, but she couldn’t quite figure out what it was he wanted from her when he looked at her like that. Breaking eye contact, she decided to look busy. She didn’t want him to think she wasn’t working to make this dinner perfect. She still caught and studied him out of her periphery. He was puttering around, like the near silence in his home was threatening to close in on him. But to Rey, he moved with the fluidity of a perfectly hewn statue. There was a certain power he radiated. Like he knew every inch of his body and worked to make sure it never did something he didn’t want it to do. 

Eventually, he made his way over to the breakfast bar opposite her and leaned on it. She tried her damnedest not to flush under his gaze while she continued to work.. 

“This is my lucky suit,” he said quietly. Rey finally looked at his face and smiled at the look of betrayal on his features. Like he couldn’t believe he actually contributed to small talk, let alone that he let a little detail like that slip. She softened her smile, not wanting to scare him off.

“Yeah?”

“I’ve closed seven huge business deals in this suit. And tonight will make number eight,” he said carefully enough that Rey almost believed that he thought that was romantic. 

“Is that what tonight is? Another business deal?” She really had to get better at controlling her brain to mouth function. But, surprisingly, he let out a quick huff of laughter. Though the smile and his eyes seemed tinged with a tightness she couldn’t read into too much. 

“Well you don’t need luck when you’ve got me,” she said, hoping to cover her blunder. “And this,” she said excitedly, motioning to the dining room and all her hard work.

“Wow, Miss Niima,” he said, a little breathless, like he couldn’t quite believe she had taken the time to actually do this for him. She all but preened with the unspoken compliment and the tone. His smile was small, but genuine and Rey internally high fived herself for getting it out of him when he had looked like a wraith up to that point. She also vowed to keep it there as long as he could. He was about to be engaged, damn it. Not be led off to the gallows.

“Please do us both a favor and call me Rey,” she said, coming to stand an arm’s length away. She heard him let out a breathy sounding  _ Rey  _ and adrently refused to shiver because of it. “Oh! I also made a small playlist for tonight.” She grabbed the iPad again, starting her playlist and dancing back to the kitchen. OneRepublic started to ease through the speakers. 

She paid no mind to his eyes watching her moving form as she moved to the rhythm of the song and she started to get everything ready to plate. She definitely didn’t notice what looked like his eyes darkening when he caught the little edges of her body chain peeking out from beneath her slightly cropped shirt and noted that it matched the chain around her neck. Well, she paid a little mind. He was still smiling. “ _ Can I get a connection, can I get, can I get a connection, _ ” she sang to herself. 

“Rey, truly, this all looks better than I thought it would,” he said, coming to stand next to her as the music kept playing. “It’s going to- Well, Bazine will be impressed for sure.”

“Tell me about her,” Rey said suddenly, eyes still resolutely on the food in front of her. She was in dangerous territory reading too much into the compliments he was giving her. He could be her future boss. He was proposing tonight. He was going to be someone else’s fiance in a couple of hours. No matter the small, weird connection she could swear was between them, it didn’t matter. She couldn’t let it. So she deflected. Let the record show her taste in men was still either terrible or nonexistent. Maybe she needed to get laid. 

“Bazine is- Well, she’s-” He kept starting and stopping like he couldn’t fill in the gaps. And not in a romantic I-can’t-find-the-words type of way either. “She’s smart and professional. She takes care of herself and the way she looks. A bit edgy and up-scale. Beautiful, confident. We’re compatible, I guess.” He finished lamely. 

“You’re getting engaged to a woman, Ben, not an art canvas,” she said jokingly. He went stone still next to her, like he got caught in something he shouldn’t have been in. She turned to look at him fully. 

“C’mon. You love this woman right?” He nodded shakily, their gazes locked. “Well then, you have nothing to be nervous about. You just tell her why you do, not what you love her for.” 

It was this. This is what she refused to name when he looked at her like that. His whiskey eyes, deep, full of secrets, tempting her to get lost in them. The map of beauty marks she could probably map given time. The curve of his lips practically begging her to taste them. This close, she could see the rough parts too. A small, but deep scar on his cheek, the crooked teeth in his agape mouth. Still. She barely knew this man, and besides. People like him, people in general, didn’t look at girls like her the way he was. Like she was important beyond the function and service she was there to do. Like she was important.

A dull yet high chirped ring sounded from the inside of his suit jacket, breaking the spell. Rey immediately focused back in on the stove top in front of her. She could still feel his gaze on her though, even as he answered the phone.

If she didn’t know any better, she would say he was scowling. “Hey Baz,” he said through a clenched jaw. “Are you close? What? Huh? I- hold on, you’re breaking up. I can’t hear you,” he said, finally leaving Rey in peace again. She put the spoon in the pot down and breathed deeply, leaning on the part of the counter that wasn’t the stove top. Glancing around quickly, to make sure he was still sequestered on his balcony where he moved the phone call, Rey took out her own phone and did what any sane woman would do when she needed to calm down. She called Finn. 

“Hey Finn, I just wanted to give you an update. It looks like everything is going really well, actually. He likes the way it looked, the playlist, and just- everything’s coming together. I need you to talk me out of burning my hands on the stove because I may or may not be freaking out.”

“Relax, Rey. You’re there, it’s all cooked, and if you said he liked it there’s no need to worry!”

“Yeah, but Finn, you don’t- I don’t think I can-” 

“No, peanut, I’m not indulging this train of thought. I’ll see you when you get home later. Bye!”

“Finn, don’t you dare- FINN!” Rey looked at her phone and noticed he hung up on her. She would kill him later, it’s fine. Or make him treat her to that fancy chai latte she liked from that really expensive coffee shop by his work. Moving to clean up the rest of the stuff, Rey barely heard the door to the balcony open before she heard him.

“I don’t think Bazine will be making it when we expected,” Ben said, his tone colder than she ever expected. Admittedly, she probably should’ve been paying better attention to that tone before she asked her next question, her mind too engrossed with the dishes.

“That’s okay! I can keep this warm for about an hour. When is she getting here?” 

“You’re going to have to keep it warmer for a bit longer than that, Miss Niima.” Rey immediately turned at the non-use of her first name. The venom in his tone could’ve melted right through his countertops, rage pouring off him in waves. She started to walk towards him, a question in her gaze. The closer she got, the more Ben shook his head. “Bazine will not be showing up, since she has deemed it necessary we need, what did she call it? A break? Whatever the goddamn hell that means.” 

Rey felt her heart break in her chest for the man in front of her. Clearly, he wasn’t processing this at all. But who would? The woman he was going to propose to basically just broke off their relationship over the phone. She was stunned speechless, her hand coming to rest on the back of the dining room chair she had made it to. She didn’t know what would’ve happened had she got closer.

“I need to- I need to strategize. I’ll be in my office down the hall. Dinner is a bust, Miss Niima.” Ben whirled toward the front hall that she assumed led to the office before she heard a violent  _ SLAM  _ as all the framed art on the first floor shook. She guessed she finally had a clearer picture on who Finn thought she’d have been dealing with on a day to day basis. 

Yet, it was then, standing alone and amidst all her work for the evening, that Ben’s words started to sink in. Bazine wasn’t coming. No Bazine meant no proposal meant no proposal dinner meant no job meant-

“I have no money for my rent,” Rey let out feebly, sinking into the dining room chair, reality crashing down all around her.

~*~*~

She wallowed for what felt like an eternity before a ringing from the iPad she had left on the countertop cut off her playlist and drew her out of her state. Groaning, she went to go turn the damn thing off and get her shit together. However, Poe and Rose’s faces started back at her and she accepted the group FaceTime request.

“I haven’t heard him that mad since Greedo Industries tried to sell his tech script to companies that wanted to knock off the app he spent a year on before their contract was signed,” Poe said, in lieu of greeting. He looked determined and Rose just looked concerned. 

“How did he seem to you Rey? Wait, are you okay?” Rose asked, her eyes narrowing in on the thumb nail Rey had let lift to her mouth to be chewed out of nervousness. Rey opened her mouth to answer, but was immediately cut off by Poe.

“God, his relationship, this trial dinner? It’s all a disaster. Rey, I’m sorry, but this isn’t going to be sustainable for Ben or you. You’re out.” It was a very near thing that she didn’t drop the iPad in her hands as Poe hung up, claiming Ben was calling on the other line. The panic attack that had been sitting in the back of Rey’s mind for the past two days had apparently been waiting for this moment as she started to hyperventilate and sweat. She vaguely heard someone calling her name as she struggled to get her thoughts under control.

“Rey! REY!” Rose’s voice finally broke through to her. 

“Rose, oh my god. You have to help me! I can’t not get this job. I-” She broke off, trapping a sob in her throat. A sob that had all her hopes and dreams for this job and what it would mean in turning her life around. Maybe finally getting back to repaying Finn what she felt like she owed him and proving to herself she could do something that she loved for a change instead of everything else she hated. 

“Rey, I need you to breathe for me. Try to match it to mine,” Rose said calmly. She repeated more of the same until the haze of anxiety started to lift and Rey felt like she was coming back to herself. “Now, I haven’t known Ben for near as long as Poe. But I do know that when he feels alone, which is usually his default setting, it’s not good for him. At all.

“Poe and I both care about him, Rey. But, especially now, he won’t hear it from us. Even if we would be best equipped to deal with him when he gets like this.” Rey tried not to let her startle show at the tidbit of information that Rose gave up.  _ Lonely _ . Suddenly, a lot about her would-be boss started to make sense. And why she felt drawn to him. Ben Solo felt completely and utterly lonely.

Just like her. 

“-to ask, but can you at least check on him before you leave?” Rose asked. Rey refocused her attention back in on the petite woman in front of her and away from the little epiphany she was having. 

“Yeah, I can do that,” she said, her voice coming out more steady than she thought. 

“Thank you. Really.” Rose said smiling, though it was tinged with sadness. “And Rey? I really am sorry. I’ll try and talk to him when all this winds down. You seemed like you would’ve been a good fit for us.”

Rey laughed cynically at the sheer amount of times she had now heard that in her life. “I think you need to convince Poe of that one more than me.” 

Hanging up, she took a minute to gather her thoughts. Because it was like this. Rey had Finn, and he was wonderful. Truly, he was all she needed on a good day. But, there was a lot about her past that Rey couldn’t quite shake. And in the darkest hours of the night, when her thoughts were between her, herself, and the lights of the city at 3 AM… Rey felt loneliness in the depths of her bone marrow. No one ever asks to be intimately familiar with that feeling, but she could sense it as if it was a part of her. Something desperate and aching, begging to be truly acknowledged by another person. Someone that understood. 

She might not know everything about Kylo Ren, or Ben Solo, his motivations, dreams, history, or desires. But, she did know loneliness. She thought about whether she could really help him in that moment. That could make this disaster of a night worth it. At least for a little while.  _ Or until the next rent bill comes due _ , an annoying voice in her head chirped. Groaning, she stiffened up, getting ready to put away everything before checking in on Ben and officially closing the book on this particular, and glaringly short, chapter of her life. 

“Miss Niima?” She jumped a foot in the air when she heard his voice behind her. 

“Mother’s bloody tits! What is it with people in this house and sneaking up on me?!” For as much commotion as he had been making earlier, she was surprised at him just suddenly appearing, quiet as a mouse. 

“I’m sorry. I, uh- thought you had already left,” he said gruffly, moving to pace in his living room. Rey ventured closer to him, sitting on the arm of a chair close to the couch to fully face him. 

“I still have things to clean up,” she said softly. “What kind of person would I be if I just left you with a big mess?”

“Exactly like my girl- My ex-girlfriend,” he finished lamely.

“Yeah, well. I guess people can’t seem to stop sucking no matter how much we love them, huh?” She looked down at her hands, fiddling with them as she felt the gaze of those whiskey like eyes focused on nothing but her. 

It might not have been the wisest thing to say, only knowing this man for about an hour all together. Especially since one didn’t need to be friends with him for ages to pick up on the rage that was still pouring off of him. Though she sensed he wasn’t the kind of man that needed things sugar coated for him. She just said what she’d want someone to say to her. No fluff or pity. Just the way things tended to be. He didn’t say anything. Just stared at her. Like an intense brooding mountain. 

Not that she needed him to respond, but she was getting more antsy the longer the silence dragged on and she stood there, awkwardly, doing nothing but waiting for a response she clearly wasn’t going to get. Getting up and turning on her heel, she went to go fetch some tupperware to box up the whole dinner. She absolutely refused to let an iota of this food go to waste.

“Do you have much experience with love, Miss Niima?” The indifferent tone from earlier was back. She fought the urge to scoff. This coming from the man that referred to his engagement as a business deal not that long ago? Please. 

But, he did just get his heart seemingly shattered so she let the tone go. 

“More like experience with people sucking.”

He stalked around as she tried to cover up her aimless wandering back and forth throughout the kitchen, not entirely sure what to do with her hands or her body now that her almost-boss was back in the room. He was huffing and angrily typing into his phone. Every few minutes he’d get a phone call that he resolutely ignored. Heaving a big sigh, she was about to start putting the first of her meal in the tupperware when the iPad rang again. The ID splashed on the screen read  **ANDREW SNOKE** and it was the second time tonight Rey almost dropped the piece of ridiculously expensive equipment. 

Since getting his current job at the law firm, he was never short on the daily goings-on of the supervillain that was Snoke. How he talked down to everyone who wasn’t a senior associate, demanded insane work hours, and shady business practices to name a few. Every bad thing about a boss a person could think of was attached to the man. But, he had never seemed like a real person to Rey. Just a horror story. And somehow that horror story had landed Ben Solo as a client. And also procreated. AND somehow mashed those two parts of his life together. That had to be some kind of conflict of interest. Or maybe that was all her late-night  _ Suits _ binges talking. And why the hell would he be calling Ben if his daughter just broke off their relationship? Rich people were weird.

She opened her mouth to tell him who was calling but he cut her off with a growl. “If you bring me that iPad, I will throw it off the balcony.” 

“Ah yes, because that's the most amiable and not at all barbaric solution to your foul mood,” she countered with an eye roll. She had been here too long, letting his broody vibes affect her own already somber ones. “Certainly not going to make your lawyer stop calling.”

“And how exactly, Miss Niima,” she froze in her spot as she felt Ben’s eyes and tone directed at her, “did you know that was my lawyer?”

“I may have- Well you see, it's-”  _ C’mon Niima, get your shit together.  _ “My roommate actually. He may or may not work for his firm.” 

“Right,” Ben said, tight lipped. “So, he’s told you what happens then? When I go and see him?” She may have remembered Finn telling her about screaming matches and broken water glasses after a few more later afternoon beers..

Rey struggled for something to say. She didn’t want him to feel like she had looked into him. She wasn’t a stalker for kriff’s sake. She attempted to play it off and play it safe. “I already know everything I need to know about you.” 

“You do?” he said, causing her to finally meet his eyes. There was a bit of something there. Disappointment? Resignation? Curiosity? “Ah, you do.” 

For some reason, that was the thing that seemed to break through his anger. He seemed to deflate a little bit as he sank down onto the couch in the living room.

“What’s the trick then? To get it all to just… stop?” he asked, his tone huskier and demeanour more exhausted than before. This Ben Solo she could work with. 

“You put your phone on silent and get a goddamn drink,” she said, finally smiling and attempting to break the tension. It seemed Rey had stunned him into silence as she moved next to him on the couch to pour champagne into one of the two flutes on the coffee table. He was looking at her with that look again. This time though, it seemed like he didn’t want to ask her a question, but he wanted all her answers instead. 

An extra bit of confidence in her, she tilted the champagne into the flute she was holding. A soft tinkling sound cut through the silence of the apartment as the engagement ring toppled down to the bottom of the glass. She could’ve sworn she saw Ben wince out of the corner of her eye. Tilting the glass, she let the ring fall into her hand. With Ben’s eyes on her, she just fiddled with it a bit. She wasn’t anywhere near an expert about relationships or what a ring like this could mean to people. But, she had told herself she was going to try.

“As you so eloquently pointed out earlier, I may not have much experience with love,” she smirked at him holding the ring up for him to take. “But I think this is the part where I say something like ‘it gets better’ and ‘hurt doesn’t last’ or whatever.”

He reached out to take the ring from her, the tips of their fingers barely meeting, but not quite pulling away in the process. “And when you just feel so goddamn hollow? Like you don’t know how much longer you can keep holding yourself?” His voice had gone softer, almost unrecognizable.

“Then it should be easy for the people in your life that love you to carry that weight for a little while,” she said, closing his hand around the ring. “At least in my limited experience.” Rey was proud that she got what could’ve been considered a chuckle out of him, loosening the noose of tension.

She didn’t know how long they held each other’s hands like that before Ben seemed to focus on something over her shoulder. “It’s a shame your dinner turned out to be for nothing.”

“S’alright,” she blew out, removing her hands from his to stare at them in her lap again. She didn’t know where to go from here. Back to the kitchen, to the tupperware to pack it all up. And never look back. That only seemed to make her feel empty.

“How about you make me a plate?” Ben said suddenly.

Rey looked at him, surprised. “Really?”

“Yes, really.” He got up, moving over towards the dining room table to sit down. “I want you to join me.”

“Really, I couldn’t-”

“You’re not going to make me eat alone are you?” he said from his now seated position at the dining room table. 

She weighed her options quickly. She had done as Rose and her conscious bid by checking in on him. And he seemed better. Like she had helped. Her own personal curiosity was sated, for now. And, ultimately, this may be the only way to salvage the night for herself and her career as well.

“Well, it is a tad unprofessional, Mr. Solo,” she said, standing. She knew, she absolutely knew his face had fallen in that moment. She smiled again though. “But I hear the food here is really good.”

Ben’s soft smile that she had come to like a great deal didn’t turn megawatt, but it may as well have for the extra little bit the sides of his mouth went upward. 

“Please, call me Ben,” was all he said as she sat down to join him.

~*~*~

“To test dinners,” Ben said, a few hours later. Rey truly lost count of how many toasts had been made between the two of them. Especially once the more expensive alcohol came out. 

“And to my favorite kind of alcohol,” she said back giddily. The chime of their glasses meeting echoed into the void of open space at however high up they were on his balcony. “Free!” 

It seemed both of them were quicker to laugh when drunk. It really depended for Rey. Wine, like most, made her tired. Tequila tended to make her mean. But this scotch Ben had was the smoothest she had ever tasted and with the champagne from earlier, she was definitely way past buzzed. Ben’s kind of drunk just seemed like he let more emotions play out on his features and act like the 32 year old man he seemed to forget he was. He was smiling more openly now, even if he still wasn’t saying too much. Or as much as her. She had wondered off and on throughout the past few hours when the last time he did something like this was. 

He also seemed to be more willing to offer up some more personal details. He had gone to MIT, had a weird love for planes and space, and had only recently relocated the home operation of his company back to Coruscant. She told him about Finn, coming to the US for the first time, and about how she was obsessed with cars. It was an easy banter between the two of them and she was relishing in the lights of the city and the newfound lightness of him way up here. 

“You know what?” He asked, pulling her focus back. She tilted her head at him in response. “You actually managed to cheer me up. This meal kicked ass, Rey.”

“I had a feeling it would. Whenever things got too overwhelming, I just always found myself in a kitchen. Maz used to say I latched onto it because it was the only thing I could control. And that making special meals made not only those eating it happy, but me as well.”

“Maz?”

“Oh yeah,” her heart clenched, remembering the only good thing about her time back in the UK. “She was, uhm- she is a diner owner about a town over from where I grew up in England. I, uh, might’ve snuck in there one night when I was six.” The silence that met her confession wasn’t deafening like she thought it would be. She glanced over at him and his eyes were more open than she had ever noticed them being. Like he knew that she’d only say something only if she wanted to. No one had ever done that before. It’s probably why she continued with her story.

“I was looking for food and warmth. It was actually the farthest I had gotten away from my foster father at the time. What I didn’t count on was her still being in the office balancing the till.” He still wasn’t probing and she braced herself for the inevitable pity she always got when she revealed this part of herself. Granted, not a lot of people could claim to know even this about her. But Ben was still surprising her. There was a bit of steel back in his eyes, though he remained silent. Almost like he was angry at the world for even putting her in a situation like that.

“She took one look at me, grabbed me by the arm and placed me in one of the booths. Made me the best English breakfast I’d ever had. Hell, the best meal I’d ever had, period. And I came back at least once a week until I was 14 and she gave me a job. And I worked there until I left.”

Rey was doing her damnedest not to squirm under his gaze, silently begging any deity that would listen that he wouldn’t probe any further. She knew though, almost instinctively, that he wouldn’t. Not if it meant setting her off.

“You must miss her a lot,” was all he said, voice as warm as his eyes. Like being enveloped in a weighted blanket, safe and secure from her anxiety.

“I think about her all the time. She was the first person that didn’t make me feel so alone.” If she was more sober, she would’ve noticed his eyes getting darker. Like a storm over the ocean, dangerous and thrilling. 

“You’re not alone,” he said, leaning closer to her. His voice deep, sonorous, and absolutely maddening in her current state. Some part of her brain that wasn’t doused in alcohol knew that the scotch was no longer the sole reason she felt warm all the way down to her toes. 

“Neither are you,” she said back, never meaning anything more in her life. Something within her roared. Something in him shifted. It sounded like the beasts of their loneliness, finally meeting their match. 

If Rey had been anywhere near sober, she probably would’ve been able to talk herself off the metaphorical ledge. But drunk Rey wasn’t inclined to care about professional boundaries or consequences, apparently. She followed her instincts and that warm feeling and met Ben’s lips with her own.

~*~*~

The first thing Rey noticed when she started coming to was the sun streaming in through the curtains of her window, that she obviously forgot to close last night, and right into her eyes. She blinked them open as she realized the second thing. Sunlight and a massive hangover did NOT mix at this stage of awakeness. The third thing that seemed to penetrate her early morning thought process was how extremely comfortable she was.  _ Man, if my bed felt like this, I don’t think I’d ever leave,  _ she thought. 

Her eyes shot open instantly as her whole body started to lock up. Her bed was old, lumpy, and not comfortable by any stretch of the imagination considering she slept on the pull out in her front room. Which means there shouldn’t be sunlight in her eyes because the windows in her place were way behind the couch. 

_ It’s fine,  _ Rey thought,  _ just breathe. You probably made it home last night and Finn let you take the bed.  _ She tried to remember how to breathe normally as she tried to take in the space around her without moving. The only thing that seemed to be processing was that it was unfamiliar and she cursed inwardly. She never, ever,  _ ever  _ felt comfortable sleeping in a place she wasn’t intimately familiar with. 

The fourth thing she noticed was that though she had migrated toward one side of the large bed, there was an arm reaching out to her from the other side. A very large, quite muscular arm. She knew who it was before she even looked over. But there he was. 

If she was in any state of mind to realize it, Ben Solo looked more like a human when he was asleep. Which he clearly still was if his breathing was anything to go by. The duvet had settled across her whole body when she woke up, but it was halfway down his back, leaving his head and shoulders halfway exposed. He was a sleeping giant. A victim of the same peacefulness as everyone else was when slumbering away. It was so vicereally normal looking for him. It was a good look. 

The fifth and final thing Rey noticed, finally taking in her bed partner, was how nice his comforter and hand felt on her skin. Which made everything so unbelievably clear as she took in her nakedness below the sheets. She might not remember all the details, but if that and the subtle ache between her thighs was anything to go by, she was so screwed. Or had been. 

“Oh, fuck me,” she groaned, pulling the blanket over her head.

~*~*~

“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my GOD, I had sex with my boss,” she said softly to herself as she buttoned up the rogue shirt she found haphazardly thrown off her side of the bed. It was Ben’s. From last night. She was doing her best to ignore that little tidbit as it fell over her upper body, coming to a stop around her knees. Kriff, she was drowning in it. Engulfed in a lingering scent of old leather, pine, and fresh rain. 

It was just one more thing she had to put away and process later as she quickly and quietly extricated herself from the bed. Her thoughts were running a mile a minute and she couldn’t seem to stop or focus on them for any period of time. She wanted to get out of here before she truly let the breakdown settle in. She  _ needed  _ to get out of here. 

She vaguely registered the fact that she was still wearing her body chain. She fought back a shiver at a somewhat hazy memory of a somewhat distinct male growl as she fiddled around with the yellow crystal in between her breasts. She willed it to give her the calm it always used to. She ended up finding her pants and shirt. Her one shoe, however, was not cooperating.

“Damn it, I paid twenty dollars for those,” she grumbled, swiftly padding over to look more on Ben’s side. She knelt on the ground, looking, hoping, praying it was somewhere there.

“REN,” an unknown voice tore through the penthouse, angry and shrill enough to reverberate through even the second floor. She froze instantly and felt rather than saw Ben immediately awaken. “You better have a GREAT FUCKING REASON for bailing on our meeting this morning,” the voice rang out again. 

Ben shot up to look around. “Rey? Rey?!’ His voice was alert and urgent, but still sleep tinged. Rey gingerly lifted her head from her position on the ground as his eyes met hers. He took her in and seemed to reach the same conclusion she did, albeit much faster. 

“Did we…?” He questioned, running a hand over his face. Rey resolutely refused to look at more of his exposed chest now that he was sitting up. The man was a brick house. 

“We did,” she nodded.

“Are you sure?”

“ _ So _ sure.”

“REN, GODDAMN IT. GET UP. I CAN’T KEEP SNOKE WAITING FOR YOU ANY LONGER.” Ben’s eyes shot to his bedroom door, the same unknown voice now sounding much, much closer. 

“Fuck, it’s Hux,” he swore, moving to pull her up and get out of bed. His pants had somehow landed on his bedside table and he made a grab for them as he looked around desperately. He hauled her to a fully standing position and pushed the clothes she had found into her hands as he maneuvered her.

“You have to hide, right now,” he said, pushing her back towards what appeared to be his walk-in closet. Rey immediately clammed up and started to fight back in his solid grip he had on her upper arms. 

“Absolutely-the-fuck-not,” she seethed, throwing her bony elbows behind her as full, unadultereated panic started to set in at the door got closer. It was like those awful nightmares from old movies, where the door loomed and cast a big shadow. Seeming so far away, but was somehow getting closer and closer still. 

“Rey, I will not- I CANNOT have Hux find you. Not like this. Now get in the goddamn closet,” he said, completely unaware of her increasing panic.

As he turned her around to push her into the closet, she made one last ditch effort. “Solo, I am not good in small spaces.” Her voice sounded weak even to her own ears. But, he was already shutting the door as the one to his bedroom seemed to fly open. 

She felt like she was underwater. The voices outside the door seemed that way too. It wasn’t as small as she had originally assumed, and she was able to make out a light switch on the wall as her eyes adjusted to the sudden darkness. But, she was in full blown panic mode and there was a roaring in her ears. She could do nothing but wait out the ride and hope Solo let her out in the next five minutes. 

~*~*~

“You were locked in there?!” Finn yelled. Rey could count on one hand how many times she had heard him this angry. Hours later, comfortably settled on the couch in her own home, Rey was snuggled into her favorite blanket and attempting to eat cookie dough ice cream out of the carton with a spatula. 

“Until Rose found me and let me out,” she said meekly. “It’s okay though, Finn. I’m fine.” He just levelled a look at her that clearly told her he didn’t believe it for a second. 

Logistically, she knew it wasn’t Ben’s fault. He couldn’t have known about her claustrophobia and fear of dark spaces. He was only trying to protect her from that Hux guy, who Finn had explained was Snoke’s top junior partner at the firm. “Even though he acts like his assistant for all the shit Snoke makes him do.”

Rey had been so deep into her panic attack, she hadn’t even turned on the light in the closet as she curled in on herself and let the tears stream down her face. The thirty minutes before Rose found her had felt like hours. She had been a miracle, the back lighting of Ben’s room from his open closet door giving her an angel-esque glow. She told her that Ben had left a little bit ago, cleaned her up, and took her home. Rey hardly spoke through any of it. And if Rose had ignored the hastily disposed of condom in the bathroom trash while she was taking care of her, thankfully she kept her mouth shut.

The past twenty four hours had caught up to Rey on the drive back to her apartment with Rose. Really, she had been a godsend. No judgement, no questions. She had called Finn to let him know that Rey was alright. She had even driven Rey’s car back to her place. At her weak protests that it was too much, Rose stated sweetly, yet firmly, that it was no trouble. Her girlfriend was off and could pick her up. 

Now that Rey was safely back in her home and with Finn, she could process it all a bit better. And Ben had completely forgotten about her. Ben. Her boss. That she had slept with.

Kriff, this was so messed up.

“Peanut, this is… it’s not good,” Finn said gently, sitting beside her on the couch again. 

“I know, I know,” she said, committing to getting the biggest chunk of cookie dough on her spatula spoon instead of meeting his eyes. She was fighting off tears again and she abhorred crying. “I still can’t even believe the last forty eight hours of my life were even real. I really messed up Finn.”

“Oh, you think?” he joked, putting his arm around her. She elbowed him in the side as she settled into the familiarity of him. She should’ve kept it simple. Finn had been the only man, nay person, she had ever needed in her life. Ben Solo was just another messed up story in her screwed up life. She would never go back to that place or see him again.

“It’s not like it could even go anywhere,” she said aloud, offhandedly. More to herself than anything. Finn picked up on it though.

“Wait, did you want it to go somewhere?” he asked incredulously. 

“No, I hate good looking guys with crap loads of money,” she jokingly retorted, trying to make it sound believable. Like that’s all it was- a joke. It sure felt like one. “He’s completely out of my league. Not to mention, off limits. I’m like the expired pop tarts we have sitting in the back of our pantry and the girl he loves- or loved- is like this fancy chocolate eclair.”

“Listen, you have to snap out of this right now. He’s your boss. Or was your boss. It doesn’t matter. Ben Solo- Kylo Ren- is a cutthroat jackass, not some guy you have feelings for.”

Rey peeled herself away from him and stood up to make her way over to open a bottle of wine she had in her kitchen. “You’re right. I don’t have feelings. I don’t catch feelings. I have no feel- oh my GOD.” 

“You have feelings?” Finn hesitantly questioned, turning to meet her eyes. 

“No, I left my freaking chef’s knives at his place. Damn it Finn, those cost more than my car!” She scrambled to the closet in Finn’s room that they shared, getting ready to put some real clothes back on and go back to the place she had just told herself she would never go again.

“Well good luck getting them back!” He called as she raced past him. “We’re gonna need them for when we live on the streets!” She tampered down all urges to choke him as she slammed the door behind her. 

~*~*~

It was an all around different vibe as Rey stepped off the elevator to the penthouse floor a couple hours later. Rey had learned a long time ago to tune out feelings like regret, but every step echoed with notes missed opportunity. If only this hadn’t led to that hadn’t led to… No, even now she wouldn’t feel shame for what happened between her and Ben. They were both unattached, mostly consenting (if you don’t count the gross amount of alcohol consumed beforehand) adults. Future job hunting Rey may want to kill present Rey, but she could hardly entertain thoughts like that now.

She knocked softly on the service entrance door to signal Rose that she was here. She had texted the woman earlier about her predicament, knowing that she had been driven right back to Ben’s after she had taken care of her this morning to finish her shift. Rose had assured her that even though Ben had returned home a while ago, he hadn’t emerged from his room for anything, so she’d be safe to come and grab what was left over from last night. 

The door swung open revealing the housekeeper’s kind face. Rey bit back a sob as Rose opened her arms slightly, the offer clear. Rey couldn’t help it, she fell into Rose’s arms, pouring every ounce of gratitude into the hug that she had failed to convey in her earlier state. She whispered a small but heartfelt  _ thank you _ and Rose just squeezed her slightly before letting her go and ushering her inside. 

“God, Rey, you scared me half to death when I opened that door. I was expecting to find Ben’s laundry or some towel he spent the night crying into. Not a person.” Rose said gently, teasing her a bit as they walked into the kitchen. 

“Yeah, I was- just trying to help Ben… work through it.” Her excuse and voice sounded flimsy to her own ears. Thankfully, Rose didn’t say anything. On the counter sat a few bags and her chef’s knives. Rey almost kissed that case right then and there. She would've quite literally died if she had left these here.

“Well, well, well,” a voice drawled from the dining room. Rey was sure her eye roll could’ve been heard on the other side of the country as Poe stepped into her periphery. “If it isn’t the woman who single handedly gave “personal” chef a whole new meaning?”

Rey would’ve lunged at him, but Rose beat her to it, slapping him hard on the shoulder as she passed him to leave the kitchen. “Act like a human for once in your life Poe. That was too far.” Rey felt something bloom in her chest at Rose stepping up for her. She was aware she barely knew her, but it was nice to have someone come to her defense for a change. 

“I just came for my knives,” Rey said, her voice flat and hollow, wholly uninterested in figuring out how he had found out. Poe’s eyes turned back toward her as Rose’s words seemed to sink in. It was a look tinged with sadness and questions. If Rose hadn’t just hit him, Rey would’ve for the look of pity in his eyes. She just looked away and moved to grab her knives. The sooner she got out of here, the better. 

As she turned back toward the door, a hand on her shoulder stopped her. “For what it’s worth, I am sorry. We’ve all had a weird couple of days, but I shouldn’t put my shit on you either.” Rey didn’t bother to answer even after Poe removed his hand and left the kitchen to take a phone call in a different room. 

She took a deep breath, realizing she was finally alone. She looked around the penthouse, a veritable hurricane of emotions. How could she have experience so much in this place in such a short period of time? She felt like she had done three Iron Man’s. Her brain was tired, her heart hurt, and that goddamn ache in between her thighs wouldn’t quit. Everything in here was a reminder. A reminder of a life, a career, opportunities, and relationships she couldn’t have. Hopes and dreams that had been so close, gone in the blink of an eye. 

So lost in thought, Rey hadn’t even heard the knock on the main door or the doorbell before she registered an unmistakable gait that seemed to be making its way towards it. She let out a quick yelp as she grabbed her knives and hit the floor behind the breakfast bar, out of sight of the whole apartment and not daring to make a sound. 

“Hey Baz.” Ben’s voice was gruff, his tone short. Rey froze.

“Benjamin,” a new voice whispered. “I didn’t think you’d open the door for me.” Each syllable was like silk, each word pointed and said with purpose. Heels clacked on the hardwood floor, moving towards what Rey prayed was the living room couch and not the breakfast bar on the other side of her hiding spot. A soft crinkling of leather confirmed it, as Rey let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. 

“What do you want, Bazine? To ease your soul?” Ben asked.

“You know me better than that, Benjamin.” She couldn’t tell, but every word Bazine said felt tinged with unknown intention. Rey guessed it just went to show that everyone’s relationship was different and she didn’t know the first thing about this one. “But I did feel like, after everything, that I owed you at least an explanation. 

“My therapist tells me I have this, I don’t know, tendency? This habit? More like an urge- to create drama. She thinks that it has to do with my family and growing up the way I did, with my dad.” Rey should’ve absolutely not been privy to this conversation. The privacy and intimacy of it was not meant for her ears. But, she was already stuck there. She put the knives down, quiet as a mouse, and peeked her head over the counter.

“She’s told me that I became so dependent on getting everything I want that I sabotage things because I can. To create a challenge. And I know we didn’t fall together on the most normal of circumstances, but you get that right?” 

Even from a distance, since he was looking forward and not at Bazine, Rey could see every emotion playing out on Ben’s face. How easy was he to read in the light of day? When she actually paid close enough attention to catalogue every emotion rippling like a current through his eyes and body language. He was struggling, that much she could tell, but he reached out a hand for Bazine anyway. 

“For better or worse, yeah. I get it.”

“So maybe it is about time I apologize,” Bazine leaned into Ben, her head falling on his shoulder. Rey didn’t need to be standing near her to recognize how beautiful she was. Everything about her oozed class and high society. Her hair was a curtain of black, immaculately curled and kept; her eyes, a piercing amber. Not one iota seemed to be out of place. “I’m sorry I put you through hell.”

“It wasn’t that-”

“I slept with someone else.” Ben was up like a whip crack and Rey flew back down to the ground out of sight, her hand over her mouth. 

“Jesus, Bazine!”

“I said I sabotage!” She cried out, not sounding as sorry as she did two seconds ago. “Do you hate me?”

Rey didn’t need to see him to know that Ben had taken to pacing. It seemed he did that a lot when he was nervous or working a problem. 

“No,” he spoke, his voice intense and quiet. “It’d make me a hypocrite, for starters.”

Rey went stock still, the silence in the area deafening as she waited to Bazine to put the pieces together. She risked peeking out over the top of the counter again. Ben had sat back down on the couch, back toward her and blocking her view of Bazine.  _ Kriff, he’s large,  _ Rey thought fleetingly.  _ Damn it, Rey, FOCUS.  _

“Seriously?” Bazine uttered, a mixture of surprise and awe in her tone. “What a pair we make, huh?”

“Look Baz,” Ben said and took both of her hands in his. “I know that this isn’t- that we’re not- well, I guess it doesn’t really matter.” Every instinct in her was telling her to get out of there. That something was coming. But, she couldn’t leave without giving herself away. She was trapped. “Last night, the person I slept with. It was a lapse of judgement. It was stupid and it meant nothing.” 

If Rey wasn’t on her knees, they would’ve buckled underneath her. More than she cared to admit or acknowledge, hearing him say that out loud cut deep. It hurt to hear him dismiss her so easily. Granted, it was one, drunken hookup/mistake, but she would’ve bet all the money in her heinously small savings account that he had felt the connection between them too. He had made her feel like it meant something. Had made her feel like they at least had the beginnings of a friendship before it all went alcohol tinged. 

“But despite all this shit, I do still think this can work.” Rey felt herself go slack jawed at his statement.  _ This bitch just ripped your heart out, you bastard! Don’t let her back in! _

“You do?” Bazine sounded as surprised as Rey felt. And Rey was feeling a lot of things. She saw him nod in response. 

“I’d like to move on. If that’s still an option?” he asked, his tone heavy for reasons she couldn’t understand. She saw him take a small box out from his pocket. Bazine just let out a breathy  _ oh my god _ . Rey wasn’t stupid. She knew it was the ring. “Is that a yes?”

It was  _ so  _ not what Rey was expecting, especially after the show she had staged last night to ensure the woman just meters away would say yes. There was no fanfare or obvious romantic tension. Ben didn’t get down on one knee. Bazine may be rich like one, but this wasn’t a fairytale and she was no princess. This had all the enthusiasm of paint drying, sealed with the offensively clinical undertones of a business deal. She would have laughed in disbelief had she not been so shocked. 

“It’s-” Bazine whispered, holding her hand out in front of her before leaning in to hug him. “It’s gorgeous Ben.”

They untangled themselves and stood up, forcing Rey to hide behind the counter again. She gathered her chef’s knives up and got ready to bolt the first chance she got. 

“I should probably be the one to tell my dad,” she remarked. “I’m going to go upstairs and call him. Just give me a few and then meet me.” 

Rey heard Bazine’s heels take her upstairs. She didn’t know where Ben was, she didn’t care. She was way past needing to get out of here. Taking one last look left and right, she started to crawl towards the service door, hoping that Ben had gone to his office to contemplate everything that had just happened. 

“Rey?” she heard him say. His tone was soft, so similar to last night. Like he couldn’t believe she was here. That she was real.

“Bollocks” she breathed out. She had almost made it too. 

With all the grace of a newborn deer, Rey moved to stand up. She saw Ben coming from the corner of her eye and held up a hand to stop him, the intention obvious.

“I was just here to get my knives,” her voice flat. “Congratulations, by the way. I overheard the good news.” She internally high fived herself for playing it cool.

Ben flinched. Though at her tone, her words, or the fact that she overheard them, she wasn’t sure. He sure as hell didn’t look like a man who just got engaged. Closer up, she could see the slight bags under his eyes and the sunkenness of his face, like he hadn’t gotten any sleep or eaten anything. His hair was mussed and not in his cool I-don’t-give-a-shit-this-is-unintentional wavey way. Some ends were sticking out from all directions. He looked unkempt, like a man haunted. 

“I feel horrible about this,” he exhaled, so quiet she almost didn’t hear it. She surmised he didn’t have much experience with saying things like that out loud. And it was as close to an apology as she was probably going to get. 

“I do too,” she said, surprising herself and him. Normally, she would’ve dragged it out, lording it over him for a bit longer. But she was just so tired. And she refused to let him belittle her anymore today. She’d be the bigger person and let them both off the hook for a clean break. “It’s not like this was my dream job or anything.” Her joke fell flat as her mouth got away from her brain again. 

“Rey, I’m not firing you.” She whipped her head up immediately. If she heard one more life altering thing today, she was going to spontaneously combust. “I was advised it wouldn’t be the, uh, wisest thing to do.”

“I bloody well can’t stay.” She was flabbergasted enough that a hint of common sense had pierced it’s way through, even as every instinct had her latching on to the lifeline he was offering her. “That would be an awful situation.”

“Would it?” He questioned, looking at her with that same look from yesterday. The one that made her feel like he’d listen to her forever if she’d let him.. “Trust me, I get why you wouldn’t want to. But,” he broke off, motioning to his kitchen. “The job’s yours if you want it.”

“I-I don’t know,” she let out, the past two days catching up with her physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Before she could register it, Ben had come to stand in front of her. She looked into his brown eyes, hoping that she’d drown in them before she had a chance to answer. Not touching her, he leaned his face a bit closer to hers.  _ Danger, danger, DANGER. _

“What would Maz tell you to do?” His voice caressed her conscious like a balm. She could do this. She could do it, right? She could work here, for this man, with this whatever between them. She could make friends with Rose and grow a tolerance for Poe. She could live out her dream and watch as Ben planned a wedding to another woman. He had already said it, hadn’t he? It meant nothing. It had been one huge momentary lapse in judgement. She willed herself to believe it

Damn him for knowing exactly what to say. 

“Take the job, Rey!” Ben darted away from her as Rose’s voice broke whatever spell was between them. And Rose, again bless her, resolutely didn’t mention anything. Her eyes and slightly raised eyebrow told Rey they’d have a lot to talk about later. “Please. You belong here.”

She swung her attention away from Rose and back to Ben. When he had offered her the job, it had been the most sure she’d heard him sound since he opened the door for Bazine. And she’d be damned if she let her dreams slip away that easily. Everything from the past two days would remain in a box, never to be spoken of again. She could do this.

“I’m in.” 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’m just, casually, having the biggest panic attack of my life while trying to put together the perfect outfit that makes me seem professional, capable, and like I didn’t sleep with my boss!”
> 
> ...
> 
> In which we see: first day, an investors dinner, and a missing ring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Anything you recognize is not mine, anything you don't is all me.

“Rey, get your ass out of the bathroom!” Finn yelled from the kitchen, putting the finishing touches on two cups of coffee. “I’m not going to have you be late on your first day!”

A definitive  _ THUMP _ and a muffled curse came from behind the bathroom door before Rey stormed out into the apartment’s kitchen/living room in all her glory. All her navy pencil skirt and polka dotted bra glory. Her shirt had been thrown over her shoulder like a rag while she wrestled to put her shoes and earrings on at the same time. 

“I know, I know, I know,” she said, taking the offered cup of coffee from Finn. “I’m just, casually, having the biggest panic attack of my life while trying to put together the perfect outfit that makes me seem professional, capable, and like I didn’t sleep with my boss!”

Finn just chuckled and shook his head. “Well, we know he likes this look.”

“Will you just shut up and HELP me?” Rey said, twisting her body and trying to remember where she had put the shirt she wanted to wear today. 

Finn approached her, hands up, like he was coming up to a wild animal. He gestured to the shirt on her shoulder and she slumped, letting him take it from her as she set her coffee down. Finn eased her arms into the white button up blouse and remarked, “I can only offer you this piece of advice: he’s engaged now which means clothes are non-optional.”

Rey yanked a pillow from their couch and whipped it at him as he laughed and retreated back behind the safety of their dining room table. “I bloody well know that, you wanker!”

“Drink your coffee, Peanut,” Finn said through giggles over a mug of his own. “You get a little testy when you’re decaffeinated.” 

She scowled her signature scowl at him before attempting to take a sip of the coffee doctored exactly how he knew she liked it. And she supposed it was only fitting that Murphy’s law tacked another tally in the win column this morning as she felt hot coffee pour down the front of her button up.

“Damn it! This shirt cost me five bucks,” she whimpered, straining to get the shirt off before it burned her chest. 

“Alright Rey, you need to settle down and focus.” Finn said, grabbing her hands and leading her to the couch. “Deep breaths now.” This had become a ritual when they had been in college, whenever the other got too stressed. Five deep breaths taken together to recenter themselves and go back at problems with fresh eyes. 

“You need to calm down,” he reminded her gently, rubbing a soothing pattern onto their intertwined hands. “It’s the first day of your dream job! You should be excited, not on the verge of the very first self induced stroke. These are your first steps to becoming a more modern, better, and way hotter version of Rachael Ray. So, I say this from the bottom of my heart… don’t screw it up.”

That was all it took for the tension to ease right out of Rey’s body. Even to this day, she wondered how Finn had come to know her so well that he knew exactly what to say when she got like this. “Is that you trying to level up my self confidence or flush it down the drain?”

“No, this is me boosting your self confidence,” he yelled, hauling her back up into a standing position. “All you gotta do is power pose!”

“What in the bloody hell is a power pose?”

“Just put your hands on your hips and say ‘I got this!’” He said, demonstrating the gesture in the only zest-for-life way Finn could.

She put her hands on her hips lazily, feeling like an idiot. “I… got this?”

“Louder peanut! Like you MEAN IT! Like your job and our electric bill depend on it!”

“Yeah, you know what? You’re right. I got this!” 

She felt oddly invigorated and finally ready to greet the day with that send off. She stepped around Finn to grab her purse and leave. “I’ll see you when I get home Finn. Hopefully with leftovers.” She did a mental calculation as she walked out the door, closing it with a bang. Purse, over her shoulder. Phone, in purse. Keys, in hand. Knives, in her other hand. She was ready. She had this. 

She hit the down button on the elevator, daydreaming to herself that she wouldn’t have to share with anyone on the way. 

“Um, Rey?” said Finn’s voice from back down the hall. Immediately, she focused on her reflection in the elevator doors, just reflective enough to remind her she hadn’t replaced her shirt and was standing in only her bra in the middle of the hallway.

“DAMN IT.”

~*~*~

Third time's the charm, it seemed, when it came to Rey feeling comfortable riding up to the Penthouse where she now worked. The first time she had been all unruly nerves and high on desperation to make sure she got the job. The second time, she had been riding the wave of shame. Like a criminal returning to the scene of their crime. 

_ You did nothing wrong, Rey. Remember that,  _ she thought to herself, stepping off the elevator and making her way to the service entrance. Maybe if she repeated enough to herself, it would seem more true. 

She was still unfamiliar enough with the place that the lavishness and sleek look to the apartment still managed to leave her slightly breathless. Only being able to play around in this kitchen once would have been an outright shame. She smiled at Rose, standing in the kitchen, before hanging her purse up in the space by the door. 

“Happy first day!” Rose beamed at her, holding out a small cupcake. Rey nearly started bawling at the mere sight of it and how touched she was by the gesture. “I got it to celebrate! Not that I needed a new excuse to have cupcakes before 9 in the morning.”

“Thank you Rose. Truly.” Rey smiled back at her, hoping it would do more to convey her gratitude than her words. She took it and dug in. “Where do I start?” She asked, voice muffled by cupcake. Rose handed her a tablet that she took in her free hand. 

“Right here. This is your personal tablet, already set up. It’s got the work app for logging hours, time off requests, benefits, all the lame work stuff. It’s also synced up with all our calendars. You’ll have a daily to do list, broken out by times and such. But unless it’s anything fancy or official, just keep to regular meal times. Oh, and it also has a recipe book app, and one for groceries where you can pre-order, have things delivered, or keep a list!” 

Rose took the time to explain and show Rey each thing as she ate her cupcake. “This will be your lifeline and your baby. Keep it safe and it’ll be smooth sailing from here on out.”

“RenTech doesn’t skimp, huh?” Rey intoned, playing with all the apps. Rose just chuckled.

“Understatement of the year, but Ben took the time personally to set up this one for you.” Rey pretended to be very interested in something on the screen while pointedly ignoring Rose’s smirk. She popped the little bubble of something that threatened to expand in her chest. 

“Well, well, well, look who it is,” said a voice coming from the hallway off shot from the living room that led to the office. Rey rolled her eyes hoping she didn’t retch up the cupcake before he got close enough to be in the splash zone. “Proposition anyone in the elevator this morning?” 

Rey noted the lack of venom in his tone and knew he was teasing but she nailed Poe with a glare nonetheless. “You know what you are, Dameron?”

He just smirked and cocked an eyebrow as he approached the opposite side of the breakfast bar. “What am I?”

“You’re difficult, really difficult. You’re a difficult man.”

“Okay, you two. Claws in,” Rose said. “It’s her first day, Poe. Ease up.” He saluted her as she made her way upstairs before turning his attention back towards Rey refamiliarizing herself with the kitchen. 

She meanandered around, opening drawers and cabinets. She put her knives away and played a bit on her tablet as she started to tie an apron around her waist. She had managed to make it out of the door with a new shirt on, thankyouverymuch. She prayed she wouldn’t spill anything on her burgundy long sleeve. Her heart (and budget) couldn’t take it. She finally met Poe’s eyes as she finished putting her hair up in her signature three-bun style she always did when working.

“Listen. I was hoping we could start fresh. And by start fresh I mean never talk about the trial dinner. Like, ever again. So, can you at least pretend to like me for both our sanity’s sakes?” She reached out her hand for him to shake. 

“Rey, I stopped pretending to like girls in high school.” He took her hand regardless. Though he was still smirking, she felt the finality in that shake. As long as he made an effort to be civil, she would to. She pushed away the little thought of trying to set him up with Poe. He didn’t deserve him. Yet.  _ Maybe one day though,  _ she thought with a smile. 

A ping from her tablet took her out of her thought process. “That’ll be the breakfast order for the lovebirds,” Poe said, making his way back to the office. Rey had lied. Now, the cupcake was going to come back up. 

“Alright. Pancakes, bacon, eggs. I got this. Poe, how does Ben like his eggs?”

“Like you,” he said standing. “Over easy.” She lunged like she was going to throw her tablet at him as he darted away with a laugh.

She set it down on the counter and took five more deep breaths. Of course Bazine was going to be here. It was stupid to believe that Rey wouldn’t interact her. She battled off a shudder. God, she wasn’t nearly through processing it all. But, it didn’t matter. She had breakfast to prepare.

Poe popped back out from the far hallway. “Oh and in case you haven’t seen it yet- you may want to get a head start on dinner too. You’ll need to prepare an authentic Twi’lek meal for some investors flying in tonight. No pressure. But, it does have to be perfect.” Rey tried not to blanch. “Your resume did say that you're familiar with Rylothian style cooking, right?” He just laughed again as he disappeared from view. 

“It did?” She tried to remember everything she had lied about on her resume. “It did! Don’t worry Poe, I got this.”  _ What in the kriffing hell was Rylothian style cooking? _

~*~*~

From his closet, Ben tried to tune out the click of Bazine’s phone camera as she took pictures of her ring from his bed. He chalked it up to the stress of the investor’s dinner tonight and also never really doing well with anyone in his space.  _ Well, not everyone,  _ his traitorous mind whispered. He ran his hand through his hair,  _ again,  _ as he shut that thought process down immediately. 

Of course, he had gotten the notification from the work app he designed when she clocked in for the day. And the fact that he feels like he got run over by a semi instead of getting eight hours of sleep last night had nothing to do with the woman currently making a home for herself just downstairs in his kitchen. He had worked too hard, too long, and was sacrificing too much for everything to fall apart now. Because of one girl.

“Jesus, you really know how to pick em,” Bazine purred, no doubt looking at the monstrosity of a ring he had selected for her. “My friends and followers are going to flip when they see it on Instagram.” It wasn’t anything special, it was just flashy and big. And it most certainly wasn’t his grandmother’s ring he kept in the back corner of his safe for whatever reason. He never would’ve given that to her anyway, but there was something stopping him from sending it back to Alderaan just yet.

“I do love it Benjamin,” she said, coming up behind him to wrap her arms around him and kiss him on the cheek. “And you.”

“Don’t forget,” Ben said gruffly as a reminder on his phone popped up like something sent from God to change the subject. “I'm hosting this business dinner tonight. We’re going to be officially introducing you as my fiance.” 

“About that.”

“You are coming tonight, right?” He asked, turning to face her. She moved closer, wrapping her arms around his waist and looking into his eyes.

“I’ll be there… in spirit.” He scoffed and shook off her touch. “Ben, I’m going out tonight. I told you this. My friends want to take me out to celebrate.”

This was more the Bazine he was used to- the social media influencer, careless and calculating heir to the Snoke fortune. The woman that had been so casually intimate with him on his couch the other day had been someone he was vastly unfamiliar with. Ben knew that deep down somewhere, Bazine knew she was just as stuck as he was. He tried, he really did, to look at her and see someone he could spend the rest of his life with. Like a normal couple with no other stakes. Like when they first got together and he really believed he loved her.

But that wasn’t him, and it certainly wasn’t them. But, she had resigned herself to trying, so he would too. 

“It’s fine,” he said, making to turn back to his desk. He caught her hand before she slipped away into the bathroom. They didn’t apologize to each other anymore. Which is why the morning after the trial dinner was so bizarre. Not for the grievances between them or the fact that their sex nowdays was born out of habit more than passion. “Gotta give ‘em something to talk about, yeah?”

She just smiled at him, squeezed his hand, and gave him that coy look that used to stop him in his tracks three years ago. “I could give you something better if you care to join me?” She slipped away from him, setting her ring down on the nightstand after leaving the closet and divesting herself of the robe she wore as she sauntered off to the bathroom.

Ben spared a fleeting moment of thought to his self-preservation and to the woman just a floor below him before doing what he always did. Putting her and his feelings in a box to be shoved in a hole and dealt with later.

~*~*~

“Good morning,” declared a familiar rumble from behind her. Rey straightened up as his voice washed over her. She turned to see him. He looked infuriatingly put together in his perfectly tailored dress pants and shirt, his suit jacket hanging off his arm. She gave him a smile as she searched for any inkling of recognition that he was feeling any of the things she was. Was he just as much of a hurricane of feelings as she was? Did he sleep at all last night, because she didn’t. All she saw was how handsome he looked after probably just stepping out of the shower. She wanted to smack him in his perfect face. 

“Good morning Ben!” She cringed. How the hell was she supposed to address him. “Mr. Solo. Boss Solo.” He just looked at her, a familiar bemused expression crossing his features as he moved to sit opposite her at the bar. “I’m sorry, I have no idea what to call you.”

“Everyone at the company calls me Kylo. Or Mr. Ren.”

“Not a single soul under this roof will be calling you that, Ben Solo.” Rose chided, emerging from the laundry room to head upstairs. 

Ben turned to glare at her back, but there was no heat to it. She laughed, bringing his attention back to her. “Just Ben is fine.” She nodded. “Welcome to your first official day.”

“Do you have a cupcake for me as well?” She asked playfully.

“Did Rose not give you yours this morning? I could’ve sworn I signed off on-”

“Ben, whoa. It’s okay. She gave it to me,” she said, placing a plate in front him and ignoring the burst of warmth that bloomed in her heart. A good boss made sure everyone got cupcakes on their first day, right? “I’m glad to be here. And, in that same spirit, here’s your first official meal.”

Rey tried not to read too much into the look on his face. Home cooked meals were the best, but she struggled with the idea that he looked like he hadn’t had one in a really long time.

“You made my initials out of bacon?”

She blushed crimson. “I know it’s cheesy. I was going to spell your whole name, but I read that giving your boss a heart attack on the first day was frowned upon.” She was definitely NOT considering all the other 'frowned upon' things she'd 'given' her boss before her first official day.

“So,” he asked, digging into the plate. “Are we good, then?”

“Oh, yes! Totally! What happened between us can absolutely be chalked up to bad decision making. Which also thanks to the alcohol, you know, I hardly remember!” She hoped her laugh didn’t sound as awkward as she felt. Rey could hardly believe Ben had even instigated this conversation himself. “But, what I’m trying to say is, you don’t need to worry about me. Thinking about you that way, I mean. It’s completely professional from my side of things, I assure you.”

It looked like Ben had stopped breathing while the tips of his ears turned red. “I was- uhm- talking about... dinner tonight?”

_ Oh.  _

_ NO. _

“Me too!” Rey practically yelled, scrambling to salvage her sanity and brain to mouth function. “I think of tonight's dinner in, like, a totally professional way.” 

Her and Ben just stared at each other. Not entirely sure where to go from here. Rey willed herself not to break first. 

A ringing from Ben’s phone broke them out of their trance. “Yeah, Hux?” She motioned a quick hand gesture, hoping Ben would understand her question of whether he wanted his breakfast to go. He nodded, as he made to put his suit jacket on. 

She put his breakfast together, berating herself for the truly idiotic display she had put on earlier. She moved to bring him the lunch she had prepared for his day in the office, as well as his breakfast and a to-go cup of coffee. 

She chalked it up to force of habit as he balanced his phone between his ear and shoulder and took her offerings that she smoothed the lapels of his suit and straightened his tie. When Finn was job searching, and subsequently got his first year job at the firm a year ago, she did this exact thing for him for months before he left every morning. 

It seemed like Ben was operating on some sane force of habit because she clocked his head tilting down to meet hers. She froze, realizing how close and intimate this was.  _ Oh my god, he’s not going to-  _

He seemed to realize what he was doing a second after she did because he straightened up with the look of a deer in headlights. He just blinked and then left, giving her a nod as he did so. She closed the door behind him, falling back onto it and sliding down to a sitting position on the floor.  _ Oh Rey, you are SO screwed. _

A ping from her tablet on the table brought her back down to earth. She got up in a haze, making her way back over to the kitchen. It was another breakfast order for-

“Fuck me,” she mumbled.

~*~*~

Rey bit back a gulp as she knocked on the door to Ben’s bedroom to bring Bazine her breakfast. She wondered idly what the odds were of her not actually having to interact with her. It was an eventuality, for certain, but that didn’t mean she was looking forward to it. 

The door muffled a shout from the other side, so she took it as her cue and let herself in, resolutely looking anywhere but the unmade bed. There was some sort of semi-popular pop music coming from the bathroom, so it was easy enough to assume Bazine had been occupied by getting ready for the day in the bathroom. Rey tried not to collapse in sheer relief. 

“Bazine? Soup’s on!” Rey raised her voice a bit to let the other woman know she was here. “Let’s have you lazy daisy!”  _ Cringeworthy, way to go Rey.  _

“I’ve got bacon and a homemade blueberry muffin,” she said, moving to put the tray on a table beneath the windows Ben had overlooking the city. “A beautiful breakfast tray I’ve brought to a room I am totally unfamiliar with…” She whimpered, helpless to the memories threatening to engulf her.

_ Get your shit together Niima, come ON. You got this, you got this, you- _

“Got what?” 

Rey was quite proud of herself for her coordination and ability to be light on her feet. It was something she had honed very young, scavenging for things all across her useless town. In junkyards, in trash cans. No one had gotten the drop on her quite like Ben’s fiance had in his palace-in-the-sky of a room. She whipped her head around, nearly falling over in the process of beholding Bazine Snoke for the first time.

She was a bit taller than Rey, her long, raven hair tied in an updo on her head giving her an extra inch. She must have just got out of the same shower Ben did considering she was wrapped in only a towel and her legs seemed to go on for miles. Her face was soft with barely any makeup applied but her eyes were sharp and assessing.

“I’ve got-” Rey scrambled, forgetting for a minute why she was here. In this bedroom. With Ben’s fiance. “Your breakfast!” She motioned to the tray she had just set down before attempting to do her power pose. “My lady...” she finished with a faux curtsey and the ends of her apron in her hands. Bazine just tilted her head and pinned her with her gaze. 

“I’m just gonna-” Rey hastily made for the door, replaying the last morning in her head and wishing she actually believed she had any of her shit together. 

~*~*~

Rey did her best not to sprint for the safety of the kitchen. She desperately needed to get a hold of herself and figure out what the hell she was going to do about dinner tonight. She nearly wept in relief seeing Rose wander around the kitchen.

“Alright, breakfast is officially served. Most important meal of the day, done. This bitch of a dinner that I have to put together? Not so much,” Rey whined, re-tying her apron and unlocking her tablet to order groceries. “Ok, I’m going to need collypod, dough for funge-bread, some feen fruit, two rycrits, mynock meat, and a wok.”

“I don’t think you’re going to have time for a walk if you’re cooking all that,” Rose teased. Rey just stuck her tongue out at her with a smile.

“I just wish I had a little more notice,” Rey lamented, imagining jabbing a fork in Poe’s eye. Repeatedly. “And listened to my roommate when he told me to be more truthful on my resume.” 

“At least Ben’s at his office today so you don’t have to worry about making him lun-” Rose got cut off as the front door flew open, Ben tromping in like a hurricane. 

“Have any of you seen my wallet? I made it halfway to the office before I realized I left without it.” She was glad Rose’s attention was currently directed at Ben so she did not see her cheeks turning bright red. 

“You never forget your wallet,” Rose remarked, making her way over to the front door. “You always put it in the bowl on the table next to the front door for that very reason. Did the great Kylo Ren get distracted this morning?”

Rey managed not to choke at the causal statement while Ben studiously avoided looking at either of them. She just focused back in on her grocery order, hoping to not interact with Ben at all before he left again for work. She didn’t want him to see how stressed she was about this dinner. About everything. She had gotten this job against all odds and damn it, she had to prove she deserved to be here. 

He was saying his goodbyes to Rose when a blood curdling scream sounded from upstairs. It startled Rey so much, she nearly dropped her tablet as a distinct stomping made its way towards the living room. Ben looked about ready to bolt upstairs and Poe skidded into the room from the in-home office. 

Bazine stormed into view like a wraith on the hunt. Her long hair looked perfectly tousled and windswept despite the updo she’d had it in when she was getting ready. Her makeup highlighted her grey eyes and her prominent bone structure without coming across as overdone. The black silk dress she was wearing accentuated and hugged every inch of her, defining her magazine-worthy body. She had her red soled heels clutched in one hand and murder in her gaze as she looked around the room. Rey did her best not to remember that her shirt wasn’t freshly washed and her skirt was two years old. 

Ben was next to her in an instant. “Baz, what’s wrong? Are you hurt?” 

“My ring is MISSING,” she seethed. Rey didn’t even have time to process that statement before Bazine’s gaze zeroed in on her. “And that cook stole it.”

~*~*~

It wasn’t the first time in her life that Rey had been accused of stealing. She couldn’t count the number of times Plutt had when she was in his junkyard for fun and not work. Or anyone that had caught her rooting around in their trash when she had been scrounging for parts or food. She still maintained that if it was in the garbage, it was fair game. Hell, Maz had even yelled at her about stealing when they first met. In truth, it had been a while. But, that still didn’t make it hurt any less when it was hurled at her again. 

If it had been anyone else, in any other situation, Rey probably would have immediately gone on the offensive. All rage and flailing arms. But, all she could do in that moment was stand there speechless, mouth hanging wide open. She had interacted with this woman for a total of thirty seconds! And that was enough time to accuse her of theft? 

Ben hesitantly placed his hands on her arms, rubbing them soothingly and trying to take her attention off Rey. “Baz, I’m sure Rey didn’t take your ring.” He ceased all attempts at comforting when her steel like gaze turned to him.

“Babe, she was in our room, looking all guilty and saying to herself ‘I got this.’” 

“Oh! Oh no, no, no. It’s not like that I swear! You just caught me in the middle of my power pose! It’s supposed to help me with my confidence.” All eyes in the room shifted back to Rey. She refused to wilt under all the attention.

“There has to be another explanation Bazine. I completely trust my staff.” Ben said authoritatively. Rey didn’t need him to be her knight in shining armor, but it was nice to know he was on her side. 

“God, Ben, don’t be so naive.” Bazine shrugged off his touch, coming to sit at the breakfast bar opposite her. She saw Ben’s jaw clench out of the corner of her eye, out of sight from his fiance. Rey doubted Ben Solo had ever been called naive a day in his life. Poe and Rose had made their way over to her side of the kitchen to stand with her as Ben took a seat next to Bazine. 

“Think Ben’s going to make us harmonize to ‘I Want it That Way’ a la  _ Brooklyn 99 _ ?” Poe said teasingly under his breath as he stood next to her. Rey covered up her giggle by coughing into her hand. She could feel Ben’s eyes zeroed in on her and she resolutely refused to look at him directly. 

“Alright, everyone relax,” Ben snapped. Boss mode had apparently been activated as her coworkers seemed to straighten up at his tone. She tried to ignore the little burst of heat that tone set off in her. “I have the entire penthouse on security cams. We can go down to the manager’s office and request he pull the tapes.”

“Then what are we waiting for? We’re going. Right now,” Bazine said, getting up out of her chair and making her way to the door. Ben let out a small sigh before looking at his staff. 

“It’s officially a work from home day then everyone. You know how to adjust accordingly. I’ll be back in a bit.” He said, getting up. Rey finally plucked up the courage to look at him head on. He just looked back at her. She hoped he could pull some strength from her gaze.  _ It’s okay,  _ she thought at him.  _ I’ve dealt with worse than her, you don’t need to worry about me. We’ll be fine. _

“Today, Benjamin.” Bazine yelled from the door, startling them both. Rey just watched him walk away, ignoring the little pull in her gut that begged her to call out to him.

“Worst first day ever,” Rey said to herself, trying to focus back in on the dinner she had to prepare for the night. “You know I didn’t steal that ring, right Rose?” 

“Of course you didn’t!” Poe answered, vehemently. The girls just turned to look at him. “You’re innocent!” They blinked at him, not quite sure where this was coming from. “And watching that tape is a huge invasion of privacy. We should stop them.” Rose perked up like something had dawned on her and made her way towards him.

“Poe Alejandro Rafael Emiliano Dameron, what the HELL did you do?” Rose said, crossing her arms, her gaze unflinching and her foot tapping a piercing staccato. Rey snorted as Poe seemed to deflate under her gaze and the use of his full name. 

“Alright, fine.” Poe reached into his pocket.

“You didn’t,” Rey said as he held the ring up.

“Goddamn it Poe! What were you thinking?!” Rose yelled, snatching the ring from his grasp and whacking him on the shoulder. “You could’ve gotten Rey fired!”

“I didn’t think she was going to come out here, guns blazing, and hurl accusations like some kind of hellscape dominatrix!” He yelled, darting out of Rose’s range of motion. “I thought if she lost the ring and got pissy enough with Ben to demand a new one that he’d get angry at her entitlement and they’d fight and he would-”

“That he’d what, Poe?” Rose said, not letting him finish. “God, your lack of boundaries sometimes. It’s astounding.” 

Her gaze softened as Poe seemed to tuck into himself. Rey just watched the exchange like a tennis match. “I know you want what’s best for him. And that you had good intentions, but Poe, it’s his life. He has to figure it out for himself.” With a sigh of resignation, he just nodded, acquiescing defeat to Rose. “Promise me, no more meddling.”

“I promise.” 

“Good. Now we have to figure out how to get you out of this, you idiot.” 

~*~*~

Ben Solo was having a bit of a day. As soon as he got back to his home, he was going to pop two migraine pills and blast Vivaldi through his noise cancelling headphones once he actually got to sit down at his desk and work. 

“Ben?” said Bazine from next to him on the elevator. They were headed back up from speaking (or in Bazine’s case yelling) to the manager of the building, Pryde. Not that the surly old bastard was in the mood to do anything for Ben after meeting his fiance in the mood she was in. He couldn’t blame him. He turned to look at her, feeling like she had calmed down as the elevator crept upwards silently. “When we watch this footage, and you see that that little cook girl stole my ring, you're not gonna get all violent are you?” If Ben hadn’t pocketed the drive Pryde put the footage on, it would have snapped in his hands. 

His fits of rage were infamous in the circle of people that had known him for the better part of his life. For the longest time, he had been unable to comprehend the depth of his emotions and it made him turbulent and prone to outbursts. A side effect of keeping it all inside until it was all teetering on a hairpin trigger. He was proud of himself though. He had been working really hard for the past couple of years on getting a handle on it. After an incident with Rose almost tripping and landing in the shattered remains of a crystal vase he had thrown at the wall after getting into it with Poe, he vowed to never get that angry again. He had come to terms with it, mostly. But, being reminded of the worst part of himself though felt like poking at an almost dead animal with a cattle prod. 

“No,” he said tightly, eyes facing forward again. “Are you?” She just scoffed and crossed her arms petulantly. “It doesn’t matter anyway. She didn’t take anything.” He noticed her give him a look in the reflection of the doors. He pointedly ignored it. 

“How can you be so sure? Did you even do a background check?” she asked, following him out of the elevator now that they had reached his floor. 

“I can assure you I checked her out very thoroughly,” he said sardonically as he walked through his door. Poe was lounged on his couch while Rose dusted around him and Rey whirled around the kitchen like a mad woman. 

“Dameron, please look like you work for a living,” he said as he closed the door behind Bazine. He could see Rey’s shoulders shake a bit as she giggled and he allowed himself a small smile at his ability to indirectly make her laugh that laugh he liked. He hadn’t heard it since the night of the test dinner. 

“Thank god you guys are back!” Rose said, approaching Bazine and giving her back the ring. He just raised his eyebrows.

“Oh my god, you found it!” She yelled, putting it on immediately. “Where was it?”

“In a bag of hot air,” Rose smiled, tensely. Ben cocked his eyebrow at her. “I mean, the vacuum cleaner! I checked it out after you left. I remembered I had gone in there while you were in the shower.” 

Ben absolutely knew that Rose didn’t vacuum rooms that she knew people were in. But, he let it slide for now. His fingers were still itching to code the rest of the day away until the investors showed up tonight. 

“See Baz, I told you my staff was on the up and up,” Ben reminded her. 

“I don’t remember dropping it though,” she said, still gazing at the ring. 

“Isn’t there something you’d like to say to Rey?” he prodded, trying his best to use a tone that brokered no room for argument. He didn’t want to identify the part of himself that had roared to life when she attacked Rey earlier. It hadn’t sat right with him at all.  _ I would’ve done it for any of my staff,  _ he thought to himself unconvincingly.

“Thank you for finding my ring Rey,” Bazine cooed, pulling Rose into a hug the younger woman did not return. 

“Actually, I’m Rey.” Her voice rang out from the kitchen. It was determined and hardened and not at all like he had heard from her before. Defiant against the woman that had put her down like it was nothing. He tried not to outwardly beam at her while simultaneously ignoring what that tone did to him.

Bazine released Rose out of the fake hug and just took the other woman in for a brief second. Ben knew that look. She was reading the room and weighing the emotions. Bazine tried her best not to come off it, but she was whip smart and incredibly calculating. Just like her father. 

“I’m sorry I accused you of stealing,” Bazine finally said. “Although you do have to admit, you were acting like you were hiding something in the bedroom.” Ben watched Rey’s face go a shade paler and he assumed his own mirrored it. His brain screamed at her soundlessly, willing her to get through this inquisition unscathed. 

“I wasn’t hiding anything!” She said, laughing a bit nervously. “Especially in  _ your  _ bedroom.”

“The important thing is you got your ring back,” he said tersely, hoping to draw the attention away from Rey.

“Yeah and that I didn't steal it!” Ben could feel the moment coming. Rey was going to ramble. And he couldn’t stop her. “I get why you think that I would. I mean, I’m totally in debt and I could live with that ring for like five, six, twenty years, but you know I'm not stupid.” Ben wished for death. And his migraine meds. “If I wanted to steal something I would take something you wouldn't notice like ten tablets you guys just leave around.”

The whole room just stared at her. He saw the moment her rant dawned on her, where she knew she had said too much. If he was in any mood to be honest with himself, it was probably the most adorable thing he had ever seen. But, he was just really looking forward to getting out of this particular moment as unscathed as he could be. 

“Baz-”

“Aw Ben, she’s so nervous,” Bazine said, that familiar purr to her voice. Like a predator with her prey. “Listen to her babble. She’s definitely hiding something.”

“Bazine, c’mon. Let it be. I have to work and you have that brunch you have to get to.” He borderline pleaded. Anything to end this conversation. 

With a last valiant effort, Rey tried to cover herself. “No, I’m fine! I’m always fine! I swear. I mean, you should've seen me when I was here last week for the test dinner, I-”

“That’s right”  _ Devil take me now,  _ Ben prayed, as it all came together for Bazine. Like she knew something, but wasn’t quite sure what it was yet. “You were here last week. Call the manager back, I want to see all of the security footage from the minute she walked into this house.”

_ Fuck.  _

“That is  _ not  _ necessary,” Ben said, stepping in front of Bazine to get her eyes off Rey in the kitchen. 

“I just want to know what else she put her dirty little hands on.” 

“Oh-kay, that’s enough,” he said, grabbing Baz and all but herding her towards the front door. “This, right now, for the moment, is done. We will revisit this at lunch. I need to work and you cannot be late for your meeting. We’ll discuss this more later.”

Bazine looked more put out than he had seen in a while as she stood in front of his door. He knew she hated it when he ordered her around like one of his employees. It was only for a split second before her mask was back up and she was smiling coyly at him. If he were dumber, he'd think there was love in that smile.

“Alright, Benny, fine.” He heard Poe choke at the nickname and he just clenched his fist. If that was the price he had to pay to get her out of here, so be it. She pulled him in for a grossly over dramatic kiss that he knew was for the audience of three in his living room more than anything. A marking of the territory, as it were. “See you later lover,” she hummed before leaving. 

As the door shut, Ben almost got to let out a groan to release the tension in his body.

“Benny?” came Poe’s drawl, shaking with laughter.

“Get back to fucking work, all of you.” He yelled, before sweeping out of the room and into the solitude of his office.

~*~*~

When Rey had imagined getting this job, she had spent hours wondering what kind of man she would be working for and what his tastes would be. Rich meant money meant, if she was lucky, a certain kind of taste standard to adhere to. She hadn’t planned for the menu to include herself. 

And now, she was just supposed to carry on like in less than 12 hours, Bazine wasn’t going to find out all of that AND still prepare this stupid, fancy pants dinner for investors that were still coming despite what Rey feeling like she was on the verge off a psychological break. She sent out a quick apology to the universe for taking it out on the green goddess dressing in Ben’s state-of-the-art blender that she was violently pureeing. It wasn’t the goddess’s fault. It was Rey’s low alcohol tolerance and inability to say no to free booze.

“Are you pretending that dressing is Bazine?” Rose teased from behind her. Rey let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding and laughed with her. She didn’t think she would ever stop being grateful for the young woman’s presence in her life. In the short time she'd known her, Rose was becoming startlingly adept at breaking Rey out of her mind spirals. She was used to Finn being the only one able to do that, and he'd had years of practice. Rey made a mental note to officially introduce her to Finn soon. He’d probably love her.

A knock from the front door broke them from their small talk while Rey was preparing the salad for Ben’s lunch. She froze immediately, almost spilling the dressing all over the lunch tray she was about to bring into him. She’d had the same reaction when Bazine had strolled back into the penthouse from her brunch a half hour ago. Rey hated that Bazine made her feel on edge like that. It wasn’t how her first day was supposed to go at all. 

The sound from the front door must have summoned her highness from wherever she had been drinking the blood of children from nearby since she flounced into the living room not long after. 

“That must be the manager with the rest of the footage,” Bazine said, a fake smile plastered all over her face. Rey wondered how hard she’d have to throw the blender to kill the woman. 

Ben emerged from his office to open the door. It definitely was not the manager of the building. “Someone order an in-home massage?” Rey let the tension drain out of her shoulders. 

“I did,” Ben said, gesturing for the man to come inside. “I got it for Bazine, since today has been so stressful.”

“Oh, Ben!” she flounced over to him, kissing him on the cheek. It took everything in Rey not to gag. Bazine looked at the masseur before directing him upstairs. “I like it hard, deep, and no eye contact.” 

Ben watched her go upstairs before coming over to sit in front of Rey and Rose at the breakfast bar. “And I just bought myself ninety minutes to look at this,” he pulled a small USB out of his pocket, “And delete everything that Bazine definitely does not need to see.” 

“Way to go, boss man,” Rose said, reaching over for a fist bump. Rey just let out a little giggle and watched Ben go. Unconsciously, her fingernail made its way to her mouth as she just stared at the general direction he left, trying not to freak out about what may be on that tape.

“Aren’t you going to follow him?” Rose asked, breaking Rey out of her stupor. 

“Well, I do have his lunch,” Rey said, taking the tray in her hands. “And for no other reason than I’m a good employee and want to bring it to him like a normal person.”

~*~*~

Ben’s office was not what she had been expecting at all. There was a well used brown leather couch and a few chairs in front of a wall that was made entirely of mahogany book shelves. Everything on them was the slightest bit unkempt and well loved. The walls were a deep navy and his desk took up most of the other wall that was scattered with a few unique looking art pieces and prints. She also hadn’t realized his office had a door to his terrace. Next to that door was a built in bookshelf and cabinet that had some dark amber liquid, some spare computer parts, a few frames and some model planes. It had a warm, lived in quality that even his bedroom (or what she remembered of it) lacked. She loved it. 

“You busy?” She asked, feeling like an outsider invading his space even though he had beckoned her in after her knock. She set the food tray to his right. 

“Yeah,” he huffed. “Having a panic attack. Would you shut the door?” She scurried off to do just that, making sure Bazine wasn’t lurking in the hallway. 

“Well, I was just coming in to deliver your lunch and see if you needed anything else before I walk out onto your balcony to pitch myself off it.,” she joked, though the option was looking more appealing by the second. 

“Well, you may not have to. Look at this,” he motioned her closer, letting her see what was on his screen. Rey was immediately hit with a wave of that leather scent with fresh rain. Something so unique to Ben, it was intoxicating. Unconsciously, she relaxed as she took up her position next to him, trying to put her game face on. It was not the time to read into her feelings right now. There were more important matters at hand. His voice from his desk chair made her focus back in. “It looks like the camera in the bedroom only focuses on the dresser.”

“That’s great!” She exclaimed, reveling in the small victory. “As long as it doesn’t focus on the undresser.”

“Then let’s take the rest from the top and see what we’ve got?” She nodded to him as he queued up the footage. 

“Ok, there’s us eating on the terrace.”

“Bazine wouldn’t mind that. Much.”

“And there we are drinking and moving to the couch.”

“She may mind that.”

“And there goes my top into the champagne bucket.”

“I’m so screwed,” Ben said, raking his hands through his hair. 

“Oi, piss off!” Rey swatted at his arm with more force than intended. Ben let out an undignified yelp and before looking like he was going to yell. “ _ We’re,  _ you wanker.  _ We’re  _ so screwed.” All the fight left him immediately as he really seemed to look at her for the first time. She didn’t know how, but she knew they were mirrors of each other. Both exhausted, on edge, torn between how to feel about this whole thing. If she didn’t know any better, there was something hopeful in his eyes as he looked at her. Something like relief or taking solace that while this situation sucked, at least they were going through it together. 

_ You’re not alone. _

_ Neither are you.  _

“Rey, I-” he was reaching for her hand, and she was so close to letting him. Just for a second. To remember. To see if it felt the same.

“Benny! Are you in here?” Bazine called before the office door swung open. 

“Baz? I thought you were getting a massage?” Rey tried not to notice how fast his hand moved back down to his side and how it was clenching and unclenching. 

  
“I couldn’t relax, not with everything going on.”  _ You and me both, princess,  _ Rey thought bitterly. Bazine nailed her with a cold gaze. “What’s she doing in here?”

“Lunch,” Ben said somewhat harshly, inclining his head toward the tray she had brought in. Rey assumed that Ben wasn’t the kind that liked to be questioned in his own house, let alone his office.

“It doesn't matter anyway. Play the tape,” she ordered, taking up the spot on Ben’s left. 

“You know what?” Ben said, standing and facing Bazine, putting himself directly in between her and Rey. “I looked at the tape. Watched it from the top and no one stole anything.” His tone brokered no room for questioning. 

“That’s sweet,” Bazine said mockingly. “I want to see for myself.” She went to reach around Ben and hit the button on his computer. Rey had to admit, Bazine had a will of iron. If it hadn’t been paired with such a bitchy personality, Rey probably would’ve respected her for it. But clearly, Ben had reached his limit on what he could tolerate today. Rey saw his shoulders start to shake.

“Bazine, no.” He ordered, placing his hand in front of hers, cutting her off from the computer. 

“Excuse me?”

“Do you love me?” he asked. Rey’s eyes widened and so did Bazine’s. She almost wished she could see Ben’s eyes. 

“More than anything,” Bazine whispered, the conviction from fifteen seconds ago gone, leaving Rey to wonder who exactly it was she was trying to convince.

“Good. Because if we’re going to spend the rest of our lives together-” Ben titled his head like he was uncomfortable with the thought, let alone saying it out loud. His relationship was an enigma to Rey. “You need to start trusting me. Now.

“I watched the tape. No one stole anything. Are we clear?”

“But-”

“‘But’ nothing! End of discussion. Forget the damn tape, Bazine.” Ben’s body heaved like he had just run a marathon. Rey itched to put her hand on his back. Whether to comfort him or thank him, she didn’t know. That tone had also  _ done  _ things to her, but she could process that later. She was just elated that they might finally be coming to the other side of this issue. 

“Ben, I-” Bazine started, her tone helpless.

“And there’s more. You’re going to come to dinner tonight. You’re going to meet the investors and you’re going to be pleasant and act like you want to be there. Is that clear?”

Bazine snapped her mouth shut and nodded solemnly. Rey exhaled, not realizing she had been holding her breath for that whole exchange. Ben turned, his back fully to Bazine now. 

She took in the fire, somewhat dimming now that the tension had passed, but still thrumming with passion. She hadn’t seen that look since he went on a half an hour at the test dinner, talking about flying and different engines in planes. It was incredibly and unfairly sexy. Rey didn’t normally tend to like being taken care of. Hated that it made her feel weak. But, Ben also had something to lose, even if she didn’t know what because she would have bet every cent in her criminally low savings account that Ben did not love his fiance. And he had put himself as a wall between her and Bazine, standing with her. It made Rey feel warm in a way she was unused to.

She smiled gently at him, liking the way it made him smile slightly too, and nodded her head in thanks before he could say anything. He nodded at her as well and Rey took it as her cue to leave the office and get started on the investors dinner for tonight. 

~*~*~

A text from Finn alerted her to the fact that he had finally shown up with the remaining groceries she needed for the investors dinner. Only after begging him to leave work on time like a normal person and bring them to her did she promise to make sure she had extra portions for his dinner. 

“Come in!” she called from her place by the sink, wrist deep in raw meat. 

“Hey Peanut! I managed to get everything from the list you sent me earlier and damn it smells good in here,” Finn said, closing the service door and placing the bags on the counter. She wiped her hands on the towel she had thrown over her shoulder and went to go through them before stumbling across some boxes that definitely weren’t food. “I may have also bought illegal fireworks,” he smiled. 

“Yes, because that’s exactly what I need around here, more fireworks!” She said, throwing them at him. “Oh thank god, you brought the air pump.” She moved to the end of the table and set up the pump inside the mynock meat and started pumping furiously. “God, I’m so in over my head with this dinner Finn.”

“What the hell are you doing to that poor animal? It’s already dead.”

“Oh, if you pump air between the skin and the meat, it makes it more crispy. I saw it on Iron Chef,” Rey explained, not ceasing her pumping. Finn just raised his eyebrows. “And an SNL skit.”

Finn just laughed and looked around the open concept loft, obviously impressed by what he saw. The big windows and the spectacular view entranced him, just like they had her when she first got here. “Kriff Rey, this view is insane! Will you take a picture of me?”

“Finn, I love you with my whole heart, but can we focus up please?” Rey cried. “Today has been the worst day ever! Poe dropped this  _ impossible  _ dinner on me with no notice. And in the midst of that, Bazine accused me of being a thief. And then on top of all that, I know I shouldn’t have a crush on my boss and I pretty much don’t because I’m above all that nonsense, but then he went and defended me to his fiance and- SHIT.” With one last furious pump, the mynock decided it had enough and fell to the floor. “BOLLOCKS!” Rey yelled, lunging for it. 

Once she had put it back on the tray, she felt her shoulders start to shake. God, when was she even going to find time to figure out what had become her life. Immediately, Finn was behind her, rubbing her shoulders and urging her to take some deep breaths. 

“Rey c’mon. Don’t freak out. It’s just a mynock and look how high up we are. We can just reach out the window and grab another one…?” Finn drifted off. Rey let out a humorless laugh. 

“It’s not just the mynock,” she said defeatedly. “This is just my first day Finn! Ok? What happens on the second or the third?” She asked, flittering back into the kitchen to stir the sauce she had on the stove top and check the oven. “You know, tonight it’s people from Ryloth. Do you know how many countries there are? And how many  _ lies  _ I put on my resume?” 

“Ok, calm down,” Finn said. “There are few things that you can’t do. Like manage your money, keep your car running, maintain a relationship-”

“I’m sorry, but is this supposed to be helping me?” Rey said, throwing a spinach leaf at him.

“Let me finish woman!” He cut her off with a dramatic flourish. “What you can do, what you've always been able to do, is cook your ass off. 

“My  _ mynock  _ was on the  _ floor, _ ” she emphasized. Finn just laughed at her. 

“Rey,” said Poe’s voice from behind Finn. “Rose and I decided that if you’re going to be loud about your cursing, you have to assimilate to American vernacular like the rest of us.” 

“Assimilate this Dameron,” she growled, flipping him the bird, noting that Rose was with him and laughing at their interaction. 

“Hey, stranger danger!” Poe exclaimed, finally noticing Finn’s presence in the room. “No non-employees in the house without express permission!” Rose swatted at his arm.

“Poe, Rose, this is my roommate Finn. Finn, this is Poe and you remember Rose,” she said, too focused on chopping her veggies to make a whole to-do out of introductions.

“It’s nice to see you again Finn,” Rose said, going in for a hug that Finn returned. “And officially meet you under better circumstances.” Finn and her just laughed to themselves.

“Hi, Poe Dameron,” he moved to shake Finn’s hand. “Our little Rey of sunshine didn’t mention how handsome her roommate was.” Poe said, charm oozing off of him. Rey just smirked knowing Finn’s expression would be akin to that of a fish out of water. He never knew how to handle guys flirting with him. 

“That’s me,” Finn sputtered. “The roommate, that is. Not handsome. Not that I’m not handsome, I just- you know I’m not self centered or anything. I mean, I know I’m not ugly, but I do... squats?” 

She and Rose tried their best to contain their laughter. “You’re funny,” Poe said with a smile, finally releasing Finn’s hand. “And cute.” Rey figured that broke Finn even more, but he was saved by Poe excusing himself to take a business call.

“REY!” He whisper-yelled, turning to her. “How was he not the first thing you told me about?”

“I kind of had a lot going on!” She whisper-yelled back. “And the last time I tried to set you up, you threw your shoe at me.” 

“Did not!” Finn said. 

Rey just lifted her shirt sleeve and showed Rose a small scar just above her elbow. “That’s from Finn’s steel toed boot after I accidentally set him up with a pimp who wanted to hire him as a hooker.” 

The laughter that flowed through the room encased Rey like a second skin, smoothing all the edges of her day. It wasn’t perfect, by any stretch of the imagination, but she felt better knowing she had people like these, and even Ben, at her side. And she may not have known what was going to come on her second or third or three hundredth day, but it was easier to look forward to it now than it was a few hours ago. 

~*~*~

Finn, angel that he was, also brought her a dress to wear tonight instead of what she had been cooking and sweating in all day. Thankfully, it was one of her more comfortable ones. A short sleeved, olive toned dress with cuffed sleeves that made it look like an oversized business shirt. And her hair was down and straight which meant that Rey was officially in professional mode. Her yellow crystaled body chain was snug beneath her dress and on her skin. She had to fight back a smirk earlier when she caught Ben eying it with a noticeable bob of his Adam’s apple. 

For his part, he stunned her too. Rey had almost let what was in the oven burn when he had come downstairs in a navy blue suit, but it was his tie that had her sole attention. It was burgundy. Like the skirt and shirt she had worn all day. She had changed at that point, so they hadn’t matched but she chalked up the flush in her cheeks to the stove she had been slaving over all day. She also wondered if he had done it on purpose or accidentally and didn’t care to examine what thought excited her more. 

The investors had arrived an hour and a half ago and Rey had treated them to some T’ssolok and authentic Twi’lek liquor from one of the best distilleries in Ryloth. Her charcuterie board and assorted appetizers were also killing it, if she did say so herself.

Rey also had to admire the effort Bazine was making. She played the part of doting finance quite well. And, though she didn’t want to admit it, she held her own with the investment talk and the tech discussion. She managed to charm every person she talked to. Rey was glad the she-witch was trying, for Ben’s sake. 

To see Ben in his element was a sight to behold. He guided the discussion like a pro, but also left room for his investors to voice their opinions and concerns. He took everything in stride, dazzling them with his knowledge about not only their business, but his vision on how his products would take them to the next level. 

From the couch in the living room, Ben caught her eye. She nodded and moved to bring the last of what she had prepared to the table in the dining room. “Shall we sit down to dinner?” She heard Ben ask before everyone filtered into their seats. 

“Good evening everyone,” Rey started before everyone could sit down, so she could unveil each dish one by one. “For dinner tonight, we have a few things lined up. First is a traditional rycrit stew with munch-fungus bread and feen berry jam, both homemade. Next is Gruuvan Shaal and fried mynock kebabs with fresh collypod.” The investors had seemed to be impressed so far, which only made Rey more nervous for her last dish. It was a gambit she had not told Ben about. 

“And lastly, I- uh- figured you may have been tired of all the Twi’lek food, so I prepared something different. It’s made from scratch spaghetti with a marinara sauce made with local tomatoes and fresh herbs, Plus, an old family friend’s recipe for meatballs.” Rey hazarded a look up at the investors and Ben who seemed to be torn between shooting daggers at her for the risk and gauging the investors reaction. She was holding her breath herself. 

“Thank god!” One of the investors said, before the other three broke out into applause. Rey beamed. “You’re absolutely right, young lady. We’ve been so sick of our usual food. It’s nice to change it up a bit.” Ben and Bazine both looked like they were caught somewhere between shell shocked and relief that her risk had paid off. 

“If you like this, you’re going to love dessert,” she said, still high from how well her dish went over.

“Please say apple pie?” Another investor asked hopefully.

“Apple pie!” Rey said enthusiastically, knowing she could easily scrounge together a good pie with what Ben had in his kitchen. As everyone sat down, Ben caught Rey’s eye again, his eyes glowing with pride. She figured she would get a talking to about not giving him the heads up about the spaghetti and meatballs, but she was too happy to care. His smile and the applause was enough to carry her through the rest of the night.

~*~*~

It was late when the investors had finally left and Rey had finished cleaning up. Ben and Bazine had retired about a half hour ago, the former telling her to just shoot him a message when she left so he could arm the security system.

Rey sighed as she finished setting up the coffee maker for tomorrow morning. Understatement of the year was to say this day had not gone anything like she had expected. She had thought this opportunity was going to explode in her face before she had even started. But Rose and Poe had helped her laugh through it. Finn had saved her ass and her mental stability. And then there was Ben. Her boss who had proved to her he was willing to go to bat for her. They made an odd team, an odd friendship. But they were a team nonetheless. And she could live with that. 

Her heart felt full for what felt like the first time in years. 

“Oh good, I caught you,” Ben said, padding down the stairs. He hadn’t taken his dress pants off, but his shirt had the first few buttons undone and the sleeves were haphazardly rolled up, making his arms look nicer than they had any right to.

“Yeah, I’m just finishing up,” Rey said as he came to stand a little ways from her. 

“Rey,” his voice drew her attention directly to him. “I need you to understand me when I tell you I absolutely loathe surprises.” Rey flinched, dashing the hop that she would have gotten this talk tomorrow. “However, the spaghetti and meatballs were a stroke of genius.” 

Her eyes widened, a proud smile creeping up into her features as she gathered her things and moved closer. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, I almost had a stroke making it.” 

HIs features softened in the late night glow filtering in from the city, the dimmed lights highlighting the contours of his face. The scar against his cheek looked pronounced and enticing. His eyes, begging her to drown in them. 

“It completely changed the mood,” he said, breaking eye contact first and walking with her toward the service entrance. “They actually talked about something other than work, which made them more amiable to discussing business when the time came.”

“Gotta say, I thought Ms. Gella and Mr. Bril were going to Lady-and-the-Tramp it at one point,” she said. They came to a stop in front of the door.

“Wouldn’t that have been cute?” he noted. She just smiled and shook her head.

“Didn’t think ‘cute’ was in your vocabulary Solo! What’s next, are you going to tell me the table settings were ‘lovely?’” It was Ben’s turn to laugh gently. “So we’re good?” She asked.

“Well yeah,” Ben started, leaning his shoulder against the door. “I mean, it was a pretty close call with Bazine and the ring. And, Jesus, the tape? Plus, to be honest, I wasn’t entirely sure how you were going to pull this dinner off.” His expression was softer and more open than she had ever seen it and her heart clenched. “But you did. And you did it like an absolute rock star. I’m really proud of you Rey.”

Rey shut her eyes, forcing herself not to cry or preen under his compliments. Knowing he had her back was one thing. But to hear him vocalize his faith in her? She couldn’t take it. She had to break the tension. She needed to get out of there before she did something stupid.

“I meant am I good to go home?” she said, her voice sounding more watery than she would’ve liked. She saw the exact moment he came back down to earth, his expression starting to close back up into that professional mask she knew had to learn to become okay with. 

“Absolutely,” he said, opening the door for her with an incline of his head and whatever was left of a smile. She stepped through it, turning back to look at him once she was through the threshold. “Good night chef.” She willed herself to ease into the easy comradery the title promised. Boss and employee. Professional. With maybe the hope of getting to real friendship one day. 

“See ya tomorrow, boss."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHEW. We MADE it. I had always planned on adding more to this and I'm happy I finally finished this part!! And given myself an official end goal in 10 chapters. ::happy dance::
> 
> The first chapter was the longest thing I had ever written to date so this next part was a little daunting, but I gotta say, I'm loving how it turned out. And I cannot ::WAIT:: to move forward with these guys in the next installments.
> 
> As always, this wouldn't have been possible without the incredible expertise, love, and support from my editor/ hype woman/ best friend/ wifey for lifey: lightning_strikes_twice
> 
> Comments/kudos and constructive criticism are always appreciated. Or if you just want to yell about anything and everything, come see me at goodgreycious.tumblr.com!
> 
> Heaps and bounds of love on you all!

**Author's Note:**

> If you made it to this point, God bless your beautiful soul. 
> 
> Thank you for sticking with this "little" story. I definitely have more works coming up in this AU. I'm going to try to make it through the whole first season of Y&H. I'm usually not a fan when AU's pull lines right from the media they took from, but I needed some of the dialogue to help structure the SW characters for moving forward. As this expands, they'll start to stand on their own and Y&H will merely be a framework.
> 
> I need to take the time to thank my beyond amazing editor/ hype woman/ best friend/ wifey for lifey: lightning-strikes-twice. Quite literally, this would not exist without you. Snapp, you're the Sofia to my Gabbi and I love you so big. Also, y'all check her out. Her fics are on a whole other level. 
> 
> Comments/kudos and constructive criticism are always appreciated. Or if you just want to yell about anything and everything, come see me at goodgreycious.tumblr.com!
> 
> Much love y'all!


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